By Dylan Warren
Peter and the Starcatcher, Community Players in Beatrice, April 5, 2024
The best phrase I could use to describe Peter and the Starcatcher at Beatrice Community Players is “Happy Thoughts.” Quite the left turn from BCP’s last show Misery but a grand piece of entertainment for the whole family.
Most know the story of Peter Pan, being the boy who never wanted to grow up locked in a never-ending battle with the villain Hook. You may have been curious as to where that story started, and this is that story. Peter and the Starcatcher brings you on the journey of an orphaned boy and his two pals being sold for labor, though unbeknownst to them there is a plot afoot. Molly Aster accompanies her father Lord Leonard Aster on a crucial mission from the Queen to dispose of a trunk of “treasure.” Little do they know, the dreaded pirate Black Stache has his sights on the Queen’s treasure. This prequel story brings you on a lighthearted comedic journey full of mix-up shenanigans, swashbuckling, daring chases, and much more. The show maintains its own charm in its well-placed use of modern verbiage that will bring you a good laugh.
Just like Peter, you will soar through this wonderful show with stand-out performances by Tyler J. Rinne, Cecily Wiedel and Callan Behrends. I also must give equally high praise to the whole of the ensemble. They helped tremendously to fill out this wild story.
Cecily Wiedel is a young talent that brings tremendous energy to Molly Aster, a budding starcatcher who joins her father on his grand missions. Cecily’s performance gives Molly’s character a huge personality and strong conviction in helping her father with his mission. It may be a story of Peter but in many ways, Molly is the real hero.
Callen Behrends is also a young talent that does a wonderful job of giving us a boy lost in a world that has done nothing but mistreat him and who through all of that still finds the courage to lead his friends and fight the villain.
Artistic Director Tyler J. Rinne doesn’t find his way on stage too often, but he really brings a big performance playing the dreaded pirate Black Stache. Right from his first scene, his commanding presence draws you in and holds you through the entire show. Stache is absolutely the biggest character in the show, and Tyler does not disappoint, bringing his comedic chops to bear for it.
Callan Williams and Teri Tapp play a swath of fun supporting characters including the duo Alfred (a shipmate tasked with feeding the orphans) and Mrs. Bumbrake (Molly Aster’s Nanny), the comedic romance of this zany story.
Jonah Erikson and Ethan Rosenthal are some young talents playing Peter’s orphan pals Prentiss and Ted respectively. I must give these two credit for getting such big laughs early in the story and giving us the comedic undertones to Peter’s story.
A special shout-out to the greatest duo of Smee and Black Stache. I don’t think any audience member could wait for the two of them to show up again and get into whatever shenanigans. Jenny Sutphin brings her great talents to bear as Smee, the comedic sidekick to Tyler Rinne’s Black Stache. She easily wins you over with her gruff pirate persona, wonderfully offsetting Black Stache’s less gruff persona.
One of the greater strengths of this show is its simple design demand. Perfect for scaling to the size of any stage, which BCP uses to great effect using a ¾ thrust stage to help pull the audience into the hilarity of the show. Tyler J. Rinne made a great design, and, with the assistance of their lighting designer Cody Lee Crist, there was no issue with being lost in the scenes.
If you go: Peter and the Starcatcher runs April 6-7 & 12-14. Curtain: Friday and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm. Ticket information at https://www.beatricecommunityplayers.com
Dylan Warren holds a BFA in theater and film design and has worked at many local theaters as a prop master and as a volunteer actor and stagehand.
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