A Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Paul Taylor-Mills co-production
Chief Executive Martin Sutherland
Artistic Director James Dacre
Patron The Rt Hon Earl Spencer
Peter and the Starcatcher
A play by Rick Elice
Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Music by Wayne Barker
Directed by Luke Sheppard
Tuesday 29 November to Saturday 31 December 2016
Press night: Friday 2 December 7.15pm
Casting announced for Peter and the Starcatcher’s European premiere at Royal & Derngate this Christmas
Casting has been announced for the much-anticipated European Premiere of Peter and the Starcatcher, being staged by Northampton’s Royal & Derngate this Christmas. Audiences will take an unforgettable journey through the Neverland they never knew, as Northampton’s Royal stage is transformed for this bold new production, directed by Luke Sheppard, who recently helmed the three-time Olivier Award-winning In the Heights.
Winner of five Tony Awards for its hugely successful run on Broadway and one of the most produced plays in America last year, this fascinating and funny prequel to Peter Panbrings one of classic literature’s most beloved characters to life.
Leading the cast is Evelyn Hoskins (Carrie, Southwark Playhouse; This is My Family, Sheffield Crucible and UK tour; Spring Awakening, Lyric Hammersmith) as Molly, Micheal Shea in his professional stage debut as Peter, Greg Haiste (Nell Gwynn, Shakespeare’s Globe and West End; A Christmas Carol, Royal & Derngate) as pirate leader Black Stache and Dan Starkey (Commander Strax in Doctor Who) as Smee.
The cast also features Michael Matus (Phantom of the Opera, West End; The Sound of Music, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Sebastien Torkia (Travels With My Aunt, Chichester Minerva; Sweeney Todd, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Royal Exchange), and the ensemble is completed by Marc Akinfolarin, Lewis Griffin, Ian Harris, Tendayi Jembere, William Pennington, Miles Yekinni and Tom Attwood (also musical director).
The final production in Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton 2016 season, Peter and the Starcatcher is directed by Luke Sheppard, whose recent credits, in addition to In the Heights, include The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ at Curve Leicester, andOliver! at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury. Set design is by David Woodhead (Bugsy Malone, Leicester Curve; Titanic, Charing Cross Theatre) and costumes are designed byGabriella Slade (In the Heights, Kings Cross Theatre, Southwark Playhouse; The Last Mermaid, Wales Millennium Centre). The Lighting Designer is Howard Hudson (Romeo and Juliet, Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company at the Garrick Theatre; The Rivals, Bristol Old Vic) and the Sound Designer is Gareth Fry whose recent credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with other notable credits including National Theatre of Scotland’sBlack Watch and the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
In this fantastical and funny adventure, join Starcatcher apprentice Molly as she embarks on a daring mission to stop a precious cargo of stardust from falling into the wrong hands. As well as meeting a very special orphan who helps to solve the mystery of how he became ‘the boy who never grew up’.
Thirteen actors playing more than 100 characters use ingenious stagecraft, inventive storytelling and live music to whisk audiences to a magical world of lost boys, pirates, and mermaids.
This brand new production of Peter and the Starcatcher premieres from Tuesday 29 November to Saturday 31 December at Royal & Derngate in a collaboration with Paul Taylor-Mills, who also co-produced Luke Sheppard’s hit show In the Heights. Tickets, priced from £10 to £26*, can be booked by calling Box Office on 01604 624811 or visitingwww.royalandderngate.co.uk.
The play Peter and the Starcatcher is written by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker. It was originally produced on Broadway by Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Shaffert, Eva Price, Tom Smedes, and Disney Theatrical Productions. It is presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited on behalf of Music Theatre International.
* A charge of £3 applies for all transactions over £15. Does not apply to Groups, Friends or Disabled Patrons, and is per-transaction, not per-ticket.