Press Release: Not Your Mother’s Peter Pan
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER explores the origin of characters we think we know well – unlike Peter Pan’s original hero, this Peter lacks confidence, bravado and magic. Only through the talent of 13-year-old Molly Aster (played by Leigha Kato) does Peter grow into the hero that we recognize. At the center of this story is a young woman who is smart, heroic, and cunning. She leads Peter and his “future” lost boys on a fantastic adventure.
The production features an ensemble of 10 actors and musicians, a massive storm, a 2-boat shipwreck, sinister pirates, swordfights, singing mermaids, and magical starstuff that could make you float if you get near it. The story will be told through minimal props and costumes and sets, mostly through the virtuosic performers (playing multiple roles!) using theatrical invention, movement, and music to take the audience through this adventure story.
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is directed by Barrymore winner Matthew Decker, the Co-Founder and Resident Director of Theatre Horizon. Amanda Morton serves as Musical Director, fresh from her off-Broadway stint in the critically-acclaimed show KPOP. Choreographer Niki Cousineau makes her Theatre Horizon debut with this production.
The winning cast includes legendary Philadelphia theatre artist Johnnie Hobbs Jr. (Lord Aster) Leigha Kato (Molly), David Bardeen (Mrs. Bumbrake), Trey Lyford (Stache), Melissa Krodman (Smee), Samantha Rosentrater (Alf), Maggie Johnson (Teddy), Jensen Titus (Prentiss), Ben Grinberg (Boy), and Kevin Meehan.
Tickets to PETER AND THE STARCATCHER go on sale March 1. Preview performances are $35; regular performances are $45. Norristown residents get free tickets, pending availability. The performance schedule is listed below. For more information, visit theatrehorizon.org.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
April 26, 7:30PM
April 27, 8:00PM
April 28, 8:00PM
April 29: 3:00PM
May 1: 6:30PM
May 2: 7:30PM
May 4: 8:00PM
May 5: 8:00PM
May 6: 3:00PM
May 7: 7:30PM
May 11: 8:00PM
May 12: 3:00PM
May 12: 8:00PM
May 13: 3:00PM
May 17: 7:30PM
May 18: 8:00PM
May 19: 3:00PM
May 19: 8:00PM
May 20: 3:00PM
SERVICE DETAILS:
Theatre Horizon presents
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
By Rick Elice and Music by Wayne Barker
April 26-May 20, 2018
401 DeKalb Street, Norristown, PA
$45
Theatrehorizon.org
MORE ABOUT THE TEAM
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DAVID BARDEEN returns to Theatre Horizon after his Barrymore nominated performances of Frog in Grand Concourse and Schultz in Circle Mirror Transformation. David has appeared on many Philadelphia stages including the Arden, Lantern, and Walnut Street Theater. He plays Mrs. Bumbrake, Molly’s nanny who accompanies Molly and Lord Aster on this trip across the sea, and will bring his unique form of comedy and sensitivity to this incredibly funny role.
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MAGGIE JOHNSON makes their Theatre Horizon debut with this production. They have been seen on the Arden, Wilma, 11th Hour, and Ego Po Stages. They graduated from University of the Arts and they play one of the orphan boys, Teddy.
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BEN GRINBERG was last seen as Captain Felix in Theatre Horizon’s world premiere of Hero School. A University of Penn and Pig Iron School for Advanced Training graduate, Ben is the co-founder of Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, which creates original, improvised, acrobatics. He play the pivotal role of the Boy who will become Peter Pan.
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JOHNNIE HOBBS JR. is a Philadelphia acting legend and one of Philadelphia’s most respected and venerated actors. He has appeared on most Philadelphia stages, was instrumental in the success of the Freedom Theater, a professor at the University of the Arts for 30 years, and was recently awarded the Barrymore Lifetime Achievement Award. Johnnie is a force of nature onstage, bringing gravitas, warmth, and strength to the role of Lord Aster, Molly’s father who is the guardian of the magical starstuff.
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LEIGHA KATO returns to Theatre Horizon after her Barrymore-nominated performance as Little Red in Into the Woods. One of Philadelphia’s most sought-after young actresses, Leigha has been performing at the Arden Theatre, Quintessence, and Bristol Riverside. She brings quick wit, intelligence, and bravery to the role of Molly Aster, a young woman, who over the course of the play, grows to be a strong and resilient leader.
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MELISSA KRODMANN makes her Theatre Horizon debut with this production. Mel is a creator, choreographer, and performer who studied at the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training. She has worked with Team Sunshine, Pig Iron, Lighting Rod Special, Brat Productions, and has worked with Nashville-based choreographer Kelly Bond on many original works. Mel plays Smee, Blackstache’s dim sidekick, as well as a beautiful mermaid who teaches Peter about the magic of starstuff.
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KEVIN MEEHAN returns to Theatre Horizon after playing Bill in Lobby Hero. Kevin is a company member of the OBIE-award winning New Paradise Laboratories, an Independence Foundation Fellow, and has also appeared at the Arden, InterAct, Azuka, and the Wilma. Kevin will be playing multiple parts in the production, including a pirate captain and the ruler of a mysterious island that Peter and Molly stumble upon.
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SAMANTHA ROSENTRATER was last seen as Shelley, the nun, in Theatre Horizon’s production of Grand Concourse, which earned her a Barrymore nomination for Best Actress. Samantha will be playing the gruff, stern pirate called Alf, who heart melts when he develops a crush on Mrs. Bumbrake.
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JENSEN TITUS (Prentiss) Jenson is making his Theatre Horizon debut with Peter and the Starcatcher. A graduate of the Pig Iron School School for Advanced Performance Training, Jenson has appeared in productions at Pig Iron, Theatre Exile, New Paradise Laboratories, The Barter Theatre in VA, and Nichole Canuso Dance Company.. Jenson plays Prentiss, the bossy orphan boy.
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MATTHEW DECKER (Director) Matthew is the Co-Founder and Resident Director of Theatre Horizon. He has directed over 15 productions for the company including A New Brain, Lobby Hero, Into the Woods, Circle Mirror Transformation, Spring Awakening and …Spelling Bee. He served as the Arden’s Associate Artistic Director for eight seasons, and other credits in town include 11th Hour, PTC@Play, and the University of the Arts. He is a three-time Barrymore Award winner and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
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AMANDA MORTON (Music Director) Amanda returns to Theatre Horizon for her 6th production, after working on A New Brain, Spring Awakening, Voices of Christmas, …Spelling Bee, and Into the Woods, for which she won the Barrymore Award. Amanda has also made work at the Arden, Pig Iron, University of the Arts, the Wilma, and Ars Nova. She will be playing live music in the show, as well as assuming roles of various pirates and other creatures in the Starcatcher universe.
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NIKI COUSINEAU (Choreographer) Niki makes her Theatre Horizon debut with this production. She is a co-founder of Subcircle, who’s work transforms theatrical and site-specific spaces, merging dance, sound, set design and film. Niki has also choreographed for the Arden, Villanova, and the University of the Arts, is a Pew Fellow, and also works with Headlong Dance Theater and Nichole Canuso Dance Company.
