Disney announced the exciting news this week that a new Disney Theatricals production will soon be flying to Broadway. Peter and the Starcatcher, a musical play based on the book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, will open on Broadway in Spring 2012.
The show, which enjoyed a hugely successful Off-Broadway run at the New York Theatre Workshop last spring, is a prequel to the story of Peter Pan, featuring Peter, Captain Hook, and some other familiar faces in a magical new tale. About the show’s off-Broadway run, New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley wrote about the show:
With grown-up theatrical savvy and a child’s wonder at what it can achieve, “Peter and the Starcatcher” floats right through the ceiling of the physical limits imposed by a three-dimensional stage. While there’s not a body harness in sight, like those used to hoist the title characters of “Mary Poppins” and “Spider-Man,” this show never stops flying.
Peter and the Starcatcher‘s script was penned by Tony Award winner Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, The Addams Family) and features a handful of songs by Wayne Barker. Bringing the show to Broadway will be the show’s original creative team, led by directors Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and Roger Rees (The Addams Family, Nicholas Nickleby). Movement for the production was created by Tony Award nominee Stephen Hoggett (American Idiot, Black Watch, Once), and the show features set design by Tony nominee Donyale Werle (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, sound design by Darron L West and musical direction by Marco Paguia.
About the show’s transfer, director Timbers told Playbill.com:
“I couldn’t be happier that this production Rick, Roger, and I have been developing for more than five years now is taking the final step to Broadway. From workshops in Williamstown to productions in La Jolla and on East Fourth Street, it’s been moving to see how much audiences have been delighted by this play and it’s thrilling to get to bring it to the widest possible audience.”
No theatre has been announced yet for the show’s Broadway run, and casting has yet to be determined. All Disney fans are sure to enjoy this whimsically enchanting show, and we cannot wait to see it make its debut on the Great White Way. Stay tuned for more news on this exciting Broadway production.
