Texarkana Repertory Co. presents an origins story of sorts about one of the most famous fictional characters of all, Peter Pan.
TexRep's talented thespians present "Peter and the Starcatcher" Feb 9-11 and Feb. 16-18 with 7:30 p.m. shows on Fridays and Saturdays and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sundays. It's a funny tale on the high seas brought to life at Texarkana College's Stilwell Theatre.
"It's a great piece of work. It's done as story theater, meaning that everyone plays a whole bunch of different parts. They switch when they need to. Everyone narrates and speaks to the audience," said Michael Cooper, director. "And everything that happens on stage is put together by the actors."
The first act takes place aboard two ships, the second act on an island. "We do some amazing things. You'll be amazed at what a piece of rope can become," Cooper said about their creativity.
And as the ships sail the high seas, we meet a beloved character.
"The concept is: Who was Peter Pan before he was Peter Pan? And how did he come to be Peter Pan?" Cooper explained that he was an orphan, a boy without a name referred to simply as Boy.
Along with the ships, there's "star stuff," Cooper said. You have to be careful with that star stuff because it can do bad things, however. One scene has singing and dancing mermaids. There's choreography, swashbuckling, a flying cat and a boxing match.
The cast of a dozen is dominated by males, with one young woman. "There are guys who play females, but there's only one real female in the show because the show is very Victorian. And so there's underlying things about the role of women in Victorian times. She happens to be a very strong young girl, who is a major influence on things that happen within the play," Cooper said.
There are jokes that will fly over a younger audience's heads but the adults will get it. And although it's a comedy set in Victorian times, look for modern references, too.
"It totally breaks all the rules of everything," Cooper said. He's wanted to do this play for a while, so he's excited to make it a reality.
In Peter Pan, we have a character whom we've all grown up with, he noted. And the play even explores some of Captain Hook's origins and the tick-tocking alligator.
"It's that whole mystique about wanting to be a boy and getting to be a boy. The character hates grownups from the beginning. He's an orphan, he's not been treated well. In this old orphanage, he's beaten and treated horribly, so as he grows to find himself how he gets his name is really clever also," Cooper said.
It's not a musical, but there's music and songs to be enjoyed. And it arrives at a familiar place by the end of the story.
"But when we end, we are in the 'Peter Pan,' we are into the 'Peter Pan' that we know," Cooper said.
The play was written by Rick Elice with music by Wayne Barker. It's based on a novel written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. It premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in California and then started Off-Broadway in 2011.
In other TexRep news, the company announced its upcoming 28th season, which starts with "Shrek: The Musical" May 4-13, followed by "The Odd Couple" Sept. 7-16, "Shakespeare in Love" Nov. 2-11 and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" Feb. 8-17. Look for an in-depth season advance in the Gazette in February.
(Tickets: $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, $5 for TC faculty/students. Get tickets online at TexRep.org. More info: 903-793-4831.)