We all know the story of Peter Pan. Or do we? The Illinois Shakespeare Festival peels back the legend to reveal an imaginative and funny origin story for the iconic character. Adapted from the popular 2006 novel, 'Peter and the Starcatcher' was a huge hit on Broadway . Director Any Park describes it as the 'Wicked' of the Peter Pan story, letting audiences in on how an orphan boy became Peter Pan.
The play pretty much hews closely to the original source material, with exciting new elements for theater audiences. Director Andy Park looked at the origins of the play and was stuck to discover that the original director was actor Roger Rees. "It turns out that in the 1980's he played in a show that used story theater, much like 'Peter and the Starcatcher' does," said Park. "It was 'Nicholas Nickleby' which was as Royal Shakespeare Festival production and the first hundred dollar ticket on Broadway. A lot of the tricks of the trade that are used in 'Peter and the Starcatcher' were devised in that production. We're seeing this play take off at Shakespeare Festivals across the country because of its elegant language, it's inventiveness and also this tradition that it shares with 'Nicolas Nickleby'."
"We're using a lot of Shakespearean technique to tell this story," explained actor Christopher Peltier, who is portraying Peter. "And at the same time, we have to bring this playfulness and this imagination that's very nontraditional.
"And what was Shakespeare doing if not telling the stories that have been passed down from his generation," added Park. "Putting those up and telling the story in inventive ways. And that's what we're doing, we're taking this story that's well known and loved and putting a spin that makes it relevant to our generation."
