After a Tony-winning run on Broadway, “Peter and the Starcatcher” is currently on tour, with a stop in St. Louis next weekend. The musical play is a prequel to Peter Pan that tells the story of how Peter Pan became “the boy who never grew up.”
Playwright Rick Elice adapted the play from the book “Peter and the Starcatchers,” which was co-written by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry.
St. Louisan Ridley Pearson joined host Steve Potter in studio to talk about the play. Rick Elice and Dave Barry contributed to the conversation via phone, Elice from New York and Barry from Miami.
While the difference in name from book to play is minimal, it reflects the play’s more narrow focus, Elice said.
“The story is really about a boy and a girl,” Elice said. “But at the end of the story, the boy has become Peter, and the girl has become the starcatcher.”
“I think when you hear a prequel to Peter Pan, you might think oh this is for my 6 year old, but what Rick has written is a very sophisticated, very funny play for adults,” Pearson said. “And it’s not that kids maybe 10 or 12 and up can’t see it, but one reason the Disney ‘D’ was taken off and it is now produced by the people who did ‘Wicked’ is so that people understand that this is an adult play.”
David Barry will soon be on St. Louis on the Air to talk about his new book, “You Can Date Boys When You’re 40.”
In April, the final book in Pearson’s young adult Kingdom Keeper series will be released, followed by a new suspense novel in June.
Related Event
"Peter and the Starcatcher"
Friday, March 7, 2014
8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
2:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
2:00 and 7:30 p.m.
Peabody Opera House, 1400 Market Street
For more information, call 1-800-745-3000 or visit the Peabody Opera House website.
Cityscape is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer, hosted bySteve Potter and funded in part by the the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis, the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
