‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ offers Peter Pan’s backstory

It’s nearly impossible to say anything at all about “Peter and the Starcatcher” without revealing a potentially surprising bit about the story.

The play by Rick Elice, based on the novel of not-quite-the-same name by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, takes its time in revealing that it’s the back story of Peter Pan. In a general way, it is to the story of Peter Pan what “Wicked” is to “The Wizard of Oz.”

“I think if you came to see this show without any idea of what it was about, you gradually start to think, ‘Oh, I get what this is,’ ” said Alexabnder Zickafoose.

Zickafoose is playing Peter in “Peter and the Starcatcher,” in a Manatee Players production that opens Thursday in the Bradenton Kiwanis Theater at the Manatee Performing Arts Center.

It might be kind of cool to see the show without even that basic knowledge of the story, just so the revelation could unfold for you, but chances are almost no one will go into it without a bit of background.

The children’s novel, co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Barry, was a best-seller in 2006. (The novel was titled “Peter and the Starcatchers,” but only one of the starcatchers made it out of the book and onto the stage.) Elice, who wrote the play, is a hot Broadway writer best known for “Jersey Boys,” and “Peter” won five Tony Awards for its Broadway run in 2012-14. The play has already become a staple for regional theaters, and, in fact, freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg staged a highly successful production earlier this season.

So pretty much everyone who’s interested in seeing the show will probably know something about it. The potential for surprise is there, though. When we meet the title character, he’s 12 years old and nameless.

“He’s not even called Peter yet,” said Melanie Bierweiler, who plays Molly, the main female character female in this version. “Wendy hasn’t come along yet. This is could be 30, 40 years before ‘Peter Pan,’ since Peter doesn’t age.”

The first act of the play takes place mostly aboard a ship called the Neverland, temporary home to 13-year-old Molly and a group of boys. The boys and Molly escape from the ship and end up on an island, where the boys experience freedom for the first time.

It’s presented in a metatheatrical style, opening with a group of bickering actors who address the audience directly before they get into the story. The sets and the props are all household items. There are a couple of songs, but it’s not a musical. The onstage band — a keyboardist and a percussionist — are not there just for the music.

“What is unique to this piece is that they also produce all of the sound effects for the show, serving as Foley artists,” director Cory Boyas said.

It’s a hit show with a large cast that’s onstage virtually from start to finish, but “Peter and the Starcatcher” is being staged in the Bradenton Kiwanis Theater, the smaller, intimate space at the Manatee Performing Arts Center.

“I think it works better in this kind of space,” Boyas said. “It gives the actors a closer connection to the audience.”

Details: April 6-23, Bradenton Kiwainis Theater at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $27-$37. 941-748-5875, manateeperformingartscenter.com.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 5:09 PM with the headline "‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ offers Peter Pan’s backstory."