Peter and the Starcatcher Theatre Review

Michael John Casey shines in Peter and the Starcatcher (Photo: Daniel Schwartz)

God Save Her

"The Stache is on everyone's lips." As well he should be. The he in question is Michael John Casey who plays Black Stache, the unequivocal star of the Constellation Theatre Company's Peter and the Starcatcher. His performance alone, is worth the price of admission... equal parts dastardly, electrifying and hilarious. As luck would have it, he's not alone. The play, directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer and based on the Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson novel has multiple laugh-out-loud moments, carefully executed by an energetic cast, heck-bent on pushing the boundaries of our imagination. With a few exceptions, it works superbly.

202 Words or Less

Those exceptions include an overzealous Dallas Tolentino as Peter, and a cocksure/irksome Molly (Megan Graves.) Tolentino was terrific in 2015's Fire and the Rain, but he appears to be trying way too hard to carry a show that doesn't need carrying. Ditto for some of the music numbers, which pale in comparison to the vibrant battles and zippy one-liners tossed around by Casey, Jordan Campbell (as the scene-stealing Mrs. Brumbrake) and Christopher Michael Richardson. The production excels at full speed ahead, boosted by humor galore, laudable music/percussion (Deborah Jacobson and Manny Arciniega) and Bryer's steady hand at the (steering) wheel.

Grade: B

Peter and the Starcatcher runs 2 hours and 40 minutes with an intermission, now through March 12 at the Source Theatre (1835 14th Street, NW.) Tickets cost $20-$45, and are available for purchase online or by calling (202) 204-7741.