Eric Knutson, Noah Hynick, and Brendan Veerman Photo by Molly Weibel

Peter and the Starcatcher's pleasures start with Elice's vastly funny and ridiculous (in the spirit of, say, Monty Python) script, taken from the novel "Peter and the Starcatchers" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Elice juggles a large number of characters and manages to give each a distinct voice, which helps sort out the intricacies of the plot. Scott Ford's direction maintains a balance between taking seriously the job of telling a cracking good story, and spotlighting a broad wink that excuses all the wordplay, anachronisms, slapstick business, and other elements that toss that story about like a volleyball being kept aloft by players who don't particularly care about the rules.

Peter and the Starcatcher takes us back to an English wharf in 1885 with two ships about to set sail. The Wasp, the fastest ship afloat, bears Lord Leonard Aster and a platoon of Queen Victoria's guards protecting a trunk that carries a precious secret cargo. The second ship, The Neverland, is a less sturdy, less swift vessel captained by the shifty Bill Slank. The Neverland is carrying a second trunk, identical to the one on The Wasp, but this one is a decoy. Also on The Neverland is Lord Aster's intrepid thirteen-year-old daughter, Molly Aster; Molly's nanny, Mrs. Bumbrake; and three orphans being shipped out as animal feed–Ted, who can think only of food, Prentiss, the self-proclaimed leader among them, and a sullen boy with no-name, simply called Boy. Boy has been deceived and lied to by adults all his life. He therefore hates grown-ups and vows never to become one. At once, we know this is the lad to keep our eye on.

Before the ships even set sail, a switch of the cargo sets the stage for the mayhem to follow. Mayhem it is, what with hanky-panky between Mrs. Bumbrake and a crew member named Alf, the Wasp's crew turning out to actually be pirates led by the nefarious and effete Black Stache, a near-drowning or two, a musical production by newly formed mermaids, indigenous islanders called Mollusks, and an enormous, very hungry crocodile. We also learn that Lord Aster is a starcatcher, whose duty is to protect "starstuff," the powerfully magical bits of stars that fall to the earth. Molly aspires to be a starcatcher like her father and is halfway there. Once we learn this, we have no doubt that the ensuing adventures will give her the opportunity to earn full status. After all, the play isn't called Peter and the Half Starcatcher.

The ingenious staging makes wonderful use of the simple wood-hewn set, designed by Peter Lerohl, with Shannon Elliott's lighting and Corinne Steffens sound design blended into the mix to create all sorts of exotic locations and high adventure, from jungles to mountain tops, bottoms of seas, to cramped below-deck quarters. The staging of scenes bobbing in the ocean waves is especially ingenious. It is work that is wonderfully whimsical and also exceedingly practical, as it allows the story to unfold seamlessly, shifting from one setting to another with ease. Samantha Fromm Haddow's imaginative costumes are exquisite, drawing forth the nature of each character. Though not a musical, the play comes equipped with music composed by Wayne Baker that enhances the spirit of the piece, with a bit of choreography by Lauri Kraft to further send it sailing into a sea of whimsy, what with dancing pirates, mermaids, and Mollusks islanders.

The cast works hard throughout the show. If they are not a character in a scene, they are likely holding up bits of scenery to create a setting, or carrying another actor to create the effect of a mountain descent. In casting the show, director Ford has found ideal matches for every role. Noah Hynick, who has found somewhat of a home at Lyric Arts excelling in one role after another, is a terrific Black Stache. He has a deft way of delivering comic lines, and his physical presence–pivoting from flourishes to sneers at the drop of a hankie–is terrific.

Nate Turcotte is totally endearing as the Boy who becomes Peter Pan, winning us over first with a surliness forced upon him by his wretched existence, and then by proving himself to be a genuine and good-hearted hero. As Molly, May Heinecke conveys unyielding pluck and a sense of her own worth, struggling to hold back the emergence of tender feelings toward the rude but wonderful boy with no name. There is a lovely, innocent chemistry between Heinecke's Molly and Turcotte's Boy.

No one could overlook Alex Stokes' divine portrayal of the amorous Mrs. Bumbrake, Eric J. Knutson as stiff-upper-lipped Lord Aster, Brendan Veerman as the ever-compliant Smee, Theo Janke-Furman as would-be leader Prentiss, Parker David Payne as Ted, ever led by his appetite, or Brendan Nelson Finn as both Bill Slank and the Mollusk chief, Fighting Prawn. Others in the large cast (for a non-musical play) contribute winning performances of their own.

As I have matured, I certainly see some off the shortcomings in the story of Peter Pan, such as Peter's sexist view of Wendy, his resistance to facing adult responsibility represented by Peter's creed "I won't grow up," and in the derogatory depiction of the Indians living in Neverland (a defect addressed with partial success by the recently revised version of the the Broadway musical presented at the Ordway last December). Peter and the Starcatcher also bears some of this offense, mainly in its depiction of the indigenous Mollusks as comically unsophisticated. Molly, though, has a good deal more spirit and independence than Wendy ever shows, and here, though Peter falls into a realm of never-growing up, he does so after proving himself able and willing to take responsibility, and to care for another with a full heart.

One caution, be prepared to strain a bit to understand some of the dialogue, owing to the vagaries of the English accents given to several of the characters. Happily, this does not affect the primary characters and never keeps us from following the plot, but if you are one who likes to clearly understand every word, you may be working harder than others in the audience who are merely having a wonderful time.

All told, Peter and the Starcatcher is a total joy, both in its delightfully far-fetched narrative, the imaginative characters who inhabit the story, and Lyric Arts' wonderful production, brimming with good humor and affection.

Peter and the Starcatcher runs through September 29, 2024, at Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, 420 East Main Street, Anoka MN. For tickets and information, please call 763-422-1838 or visit lyricarts.org.

Playwright: Rick Elice, based on the novel Peter and the Starcatchersby Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson; Music: Wayne Barker; Director: Scott Ford; Choreography: Lauri Kraft; Music Direction: Wesley Frye; Scenic Design: Peter Lerohl; Costume Design: Samantha Fromm Haddow; Lighting Design: Shannon Elliott; Sound Design: Corinne Steffens; Props Design: Kat Walker; Dialect Coach: Gillian Constable; Stage Manager: Jenna Hyde; Assistant Stage Managers: Leita Strei, Emma Swain.

Cast: Brendan Nelson Finn (Bill Slank/Hawking Clam), May Heinecke (Molly), Noah Hynick (Black Stache), Theo Janke-Furman (Prentiss), Eric J. Knutson (Lord Aster), Charlie Morgan (Alf), Brandon Osero (Grempkin/Mack/Sanchez/Fighting Prawn), Parker David Payne (Ted), France A. Roberts (Captain Robert/Falcon Scott), Alex Stokes (Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher), Nate Turcotte (Peter), Brendan Veerman (Smee).