One Night With Janis Joplin at Arena Stage

One Night With Janis Joplin is a crowd-pleasing biographical concert that brings its audience to its feet.  It is a rousing evening filled with high-energy performances of the greatest works of the late Ms. Joplin interspersed with the music of the great ladies of American blues and jazz that influenced her style.  It is a production that would be at home in the great tourist drawing towns of Las Vegas or Branson.  However, if you are looking for insight into Janis Joplin's life and the inner demons that led to her death by overdose at the age of 27, One Night With Janis Joplin is probably not the show for you.

Arena Stage's Kreeger Theatre has been transformed into an intimate club reminiscent of the 1960's with lots of carpeting and mix-matched lamps strewn about.   A band, heavy with brass is loud enough to give the audience a real sense of the electric atmosphere of a Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company session.   The script conceived and written by director Randy Johnson with musical direction and arrangement by Len Rhodes tries to give insight into the influences in Janis Joplin's life.   In that aim they have received the "full support of the estate of Janis Joplin & Jeffrey Jampol for JAM, Inc."   Possibly that is the reason that this production ultimately feels slight.   Ms. Joplin was notorious for her drinking, yet in this production the character only takes a few token swigs from a bottle of Southern Comfort. The dialogue provides transitions between the 24 songs performed during the evening, but one leaves this show roused by the musical performance, yet somehow feeling as if Ms. Joplin life remains unexamined with any depth, just a mournful sense that it ended too soon.

There are two incredible performances in this concert play.  Sabrina Elayne Carten portrays the Blues Singer, the embodiment of every African American blues singer that Janis Joplin says influenced her singing style.   Ms. Carten has incredible range which is well showcased whether singing the operatic tones of Gershwin's Summertime or the raise the rafters of Aretha Franklin in Spirit in the Dark.  Mary Bridget Davies channels the vocal and physical qualities of Janis Joplin.  She should having played her through several incarnations not only in this production, but also the tour of Love, Janis and with Janis' band Big Brother and the Holding Company.  She is a performer with a lot of charisma and one wonders what she could accomplish if the dramatic material were on par with the musical material.

Despite anything that any critique might say about the merits of this work, the audience attending One Night With Janis Joplin will have a good time.   Bear in mind the warning that the lighting effects may cause problems with those with sensitivities to strobe or pulse effects.

One Night With Janis Joplin is being performed in the Kreeger Theatre at Arena Stage's Mead Center for American Theatre through November 4, 2012.   For tickets and other performance information please visit www. arena-stage.org.

King John at the American Shakespeare Center

For the dozens of productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream there are maybe a handful of productions of the lesser produced Shakespeare plays.   That is particularly true for the history plays.   The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia set out five seasons ago to produce all ten of the history play.  We are in the homestretch now with the ninth production.   If you have never seen a production of King John, get yourself to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia pronto.

King John the play highlights two major events in the life of this scorned monarch of England.  King John the character has been dramatized numerous times, usually as the usurping prince during the reign of his crusading brother King Richard the Lionheart.   Here Shakespeare places him firmly on the throne working hard to secure his place by capturing a rival claimant to the throne and then fending off a French invasion after King John defies Papal authority.  

As in history, King John succeeds his brother Richard to the throne over the true heir by primogeniture Arthur, Duke of Brittany.  Arthur's mother, Constance conspires with King Philip II of France to invade and place Arthur on the throne. John gains an unexpected ally when he is called to settle an inheritance dispute between two brothers Philip and Richard Faulconbridge.  Recognizing that the elder brother is the bastard son of Richard the lionheart, John knights him and the bastard Faulconbridge soon becomes his greatest military asset.  John with the aid of his formidable mother Eleanor strives to get King Philip on their side and eventually an agreement is made between the French and the English in which Philip's son and heir Lewis will marry John's niece Blanche.  Arthur is captured to his mother Constance's deep anguish.   Just as John seems to have secured his throne, Cardinal Pandulph arrives upon the scene demanding that John show fealty to the Pope.  When John refuses the Cardinal excommunicates John and threatens to excommunicate Philip if the French king will not break the alliance.  This leads young Lewis to invade England.  John flounders as his kingdom is threatened. His lords abandon him after young Arthur's suspicious death, and his greatest confidant, his mother dies.  Forced to reconcile himself to the church, the English then miraculously defeat the invading French army.  Yet despite this triumph John cannot escape his fate.

This play is filled with fully realized emotionally engaging characters.   The acting company of the American Shakespeare Center seem to embrace the opportunity given them to give deeply satisfying performances.  Even the smallest role is given full life.  A prime example is Chris Johnston as the Duke of Austria.  Not many actors can carry off having to wear the pelt of a lion as part of his costume, but Mr. Johnston makes this awkward accessory a natural part of his character's bravado.   Grant Davis as the hot-headed dauphin Lewis seems as eager to engage in battle as he is fervent in the few lines he is granted to woo the beautiful Blanche.  Rene Thornton, Jr. is imposing as the French King Philip, playing the game of diplomacy to the French advantage.

As the mama grizzly Constance, Allison Glenzer shows why it is such a treat when this natural comedienne is given a dramatic role.   Constance is written with her emotions bare upon the surface, and there were signs of tears in the audience as this proud woman is brought to despair over the fate of her beloved son.   Ronald Peet makes young Arthur a bright angel of humanity.   It is easy to embrace the melodrama inherent in the role, but Mr. Peet makes Arthur wonderfully human.

King John surrounds himself with strong characters who carry out his wishes.   Tracy Hostmyer is formidable as the elderly Eleanor yet, while she advises her youngest son, she still gives moments when  the dynamic vibrant flirtatious woman of her younger years shines brightly.  James Keegan as the loyal Hubert is heartbreaking as he makes the choice whether to obey the king or save the life of the trusting Arthur.  Gregory Jon Phelps is completely self-serving as Cardinal Pandulph only caring that the wishes of the Pope reign supreme.

Benjamin Curns is mesmerizing as Philip the Bastard.  Channeling his royal father, Mr. Curns embodies the gallant warrior, always remaining loyal to the king, despite the shady circumstances.   And John Harrell makes this weak and paranoid king completely fascinating to watch as his travels from threat to threat, seeming to triumph only to make fatal errors that lead to the downfall of this troubled monarch.

There is another wonderful opportunity this season as the American Shakespeare Center is also performing James Goldman's The Lion in Winter, the prequel of sorts to the events in King John.  Queen Eleanor, King John and Philip are played by the same actors, Mr. Curns plays Richard the Lionheart in the earlier play.   While it is not necessary to see The Lion in Winter before seeing King John, by doing so you may gain additional insight into the characterizations of these older incarnations.

William Shakespeare's King John is being performed in repertory with The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice, Cymbeline and James Goldman's The Lion in Winter through November 24, 2012.  You can see The Lion in Winter and King John performed on the same day on November 3 and 24.   For tickets and other performance information please visit www.americanshakespearecenter.com.

Cymbeline at the American Shakespeare Center

Once Upon A Time.....

there lived a King named Cymbeline.   King Cymbeline had three children by his first wife.  Two boys, Guiderius and Belarius were kidnapped as toddlers by the banished general Belarius and were raised by Belarius as his sons.   Cymbeline's  beautiful daughter, Imogen, known for her loyalty and chastity incurs her father's wrath when he she marries the poor nobleman, Posthumus Leonatus, who was brought up by King Cymbeline as a part of the family, yet is considered too poor to marry Imogen.  Posthumus is banished to Rome.   He leaves behind his faithful servant Pisanio to act as a go-between for him and his beloved Imogen.

Following his first wife's death King Cymbeline married a beautiful woman as his second Queen and she wishes her son, Cloten to succeed to the throne.   To that end, she plots to marry Cloten to Imogen, and when that doesn't work orders her physician to prepare a poison to kill the princess.   She also plans to murder the King to hasten the path to the throne for Cloten..  The physician mistrusts the Queen and prepares instead a potion that will make the user merely appear to be dead for a short while.

In Rome, Posthumus quickly finds himself with a posse of drinking buddies.   He bets them that Imogen will always be faithful to him.  The Italian rascal Iachimo takes Posthumus up on the bet.  He travels to the court of Cymbeline where his attempts to seduce Imogen fail.  Unwilling to lose the bet, he conspires to gain access to Imogen's bedchamber without her knowledge.  Gazing upon her as she sleeps he notes a mole upon her breast that will prove his tale of successful seduction and he steals a bracelet from her wrist that was a gift from Posthumus.   Devastated at what he believes is his wife's betrayal, Posthumus writes to Pisanio and demands that Pisanio lure Imogen to Wales and kill her.    Unwilling to kill Imogen, Pisanio persuades her to dress as a boy and travel to Milford Haven where Pisanio is supposed to kill his innocent mistress.

Before the play is through we will have a Roman invasion of Britain, a princess unknowingly reunited with her lost siblings, a decapitated corpse, ghostly apparitions, and a visit from the King of the Gods.   Confused?   As long as you remember that you are watching a sprawling fairy tale designed to please the tastes of the King of England you should do fine. The talented company of actors at the American Shakespeare Center do their best to keep the audience spellbound.   The problem lies with the myriad twists and turns in the plot, the disappearance of the most interesting characters for lengthy periods of time, and an ending that even the best production would have difficulty pulling off without the audience having a few "what the blazes was that about" moments.

If you are familiar with Renaissance History, in 1603 King James VI of Scotland succeeded Queen Elizabeth as King James I of England.   James loved spectacle and in addition to sponsoring the Lord Chamberlain's Men acting company that William Shakespeare belonged to making them the King's men, he loved masques at court with fanciful elements be they the witches that conjure apparitions in MacBeth or the Goddesses that entertain Miranda and Ferdinand in The Tempest.   Cymbeline, dated by historians to near the end of Shakespeare's writing days clearly shows how a playwright is writing to his patrons taste.   The best example is the stage direction in Act 5 "Jupiter descends in thunder and lightning, sitting upon an eagle: he throws a thunderbolt."   Jupiter may not throw a thunderbolt on the Blackfriars' stage, but the spectacle of ghosts and gods is preserved.

Helping to set the fairy tale scene are the beautiful costumes designed by Victoria Depew who has chosen to dress the actors in costumes that evoke the 19th century romantic period.   Director Jim Warren tackles the sprawling story with, what seems like a cast of hundreds, expertly helping his company of 13 work their way through the convoluted story.   Yet, Cymbeline still feels, especially in the incredibly long resolution, to need a bit more cutting or a more urgent pace.

Despite its minor flaws, Cymbeline boasts many memorable performances.   The juiciest roles are those of the villains and Tracy Hostmyer, Benjamin Curns and John Harrell clearly relish their wickedness.   Ms Hostmyer portrays a Queen who is written as if she came straight out of the Brothers Grimm.   She has the drive and passion of a woman on a mission to see her son gain the throne.   As Cloten, that son, John Harrell is simply an arrogant ass.  That is a supreme compliment.   Cloten is the blowhard who believes in his own pomposity.   Mr. Harrell is clearly enjoying playing this delightful to watch over-the-top idiot.  

Benjamin Curns finds the right amount of slime as the lascivious Iachimo.  The bedroom scene is one of the most uncomfortable scenes that Shakespeare ever wrote.   Mr. Curns arrogance over the ease of seducing women coupled with the unscrupulous way Iachimo wins the bet sends shudders throughout the audience.  

Alison Glenzer is the loyal Pisanio.  Genuinely caring about both Posthumus and Imogen it is wonderful to watch Ms. Glenzer as she wrestles with her loyalties to her master and her love to her mistress.   As the wronged and wronging Posthumus Grant Davis has a difficult task as he goes from banished lover to a frat boy betting on his wife's chastity to a repentant warrior on a suicide mission.  Mr. Grant manages to regain the audience's favor despite Posthumus' flaws.

Abbi Hawk makes a bold and delightful Imogen.  The amount of peril that Imogen must travel in the play is immense yet Ms. Hawk takes each and every beat of Imogen's journey with her heart upon her sleeve.   Not once do we think of our plucky heroine as a victim of her circumstances, but as a brave lady who finds in adversity the road to happiness.   For while the story winds its way through many paths and obstacles, eventually Imogen and Posthumus do reach a well-earned happily ever after.

William Shakespeare's Cymbeline is being performed in repertory with The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice, King John and James Goldman's The Lion in Winter through November 25, 2012.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.americanshakespearecenter.com.

The Globe Theatre U.S. Tour Hamlet

The recreation of the Globe Theatre in London has led to some very dynamic productions of William Shakespeare's plays.   Using elements of original staging practices including a small company of actors that play multiple parts, brisk pacing and leaving the lights on so that a more intimate relationship exists between the audience and the actors, the Globe Theatre's touring production of Hamlet is now making several appearances in the United States.

This energetic company of eight actors presents Hamlet in a very brisk two and half hours.  The language and story are clearly spoken and very accessible.   Although some of the doubling can lead to confusion when an actor quickly grabs a costume piece or prop and instantly becomes another character, this is a rousing production that does not find all of the nuances of Shakespeare's great revenge tragedy.   The tour began in the Elizabethan theater at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.  This theater has hosted professional classical theater for decades, but it was a nice change to see the Elizabethan theater's stage stripped bare exposing the natural lines of the balcony and posts that designers seem so eager to mask with contemporary design flair.   That is not to say that the Globe Theatre's production does not have a set.   It does, but it is an unobtrusive one that must by the nature of touring be flexible and portable.   A simple wall with hooks for costume changes and seats for when the actors double as musicians and sound effects artists is coupled with curtains strung up with ropes across the stage.   Simple scene changes are mostly unnoticeable with one glaring exception when the removal of a graveyard completely distracts from the scene played upon the balcony above the stage.

The company of eight are clearly well trained in classical renaissance theatre as one would expect.  Yet, the fast pace hinders some of the performances.   In particular, Michael Benz in the title role, does not show true depth in Hamlet's supposed madness, doubting nature or revenge until well into the second half of the performance after he kills Polonius (the appropriately buffoonish Christopher Saul).   Miranda Foster and Dickon Tyrrell as Gertrude and Claudius are appropriately regal and the decision to have them double as the Player King and Queen turns out to be masterful.   Carlyss Peer embraces the recent trend of making Ophelia's madness the embodiment of angry grief rather than anguish.   The rest of the company in their myriad roles are delightful, yet the limitations of only using eight actors means that the subtitles of in-depth performance are not always there.

This is a rare opportunity to see members of the Globe Theatre company on this side of the pond.  If you have the means to see this production make sure that you do so.

The Globe Theatre's touring production of Hamlet played the Folger Shakespeare Library's Elizabethan Theatre from September 8-22, 2012.   For additional tour dates and other performance information please visit www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/on-tour/Hamlet and click on the links to the venues on the right side of the web page.

Chaplin: The Musical at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Charlie Chaplin certainly lived a life that would seem a natural one to be dramatized as a musical.  Born in London in poverty, the son of a mentally ill music hall singer and an absent alcoholic father, his rise to stardom as the brilliant comedian and star of the silent screen is the classic rags to riches storyline.   Mr. Chaplin's complex personal life and the political beliefs which led to his exile from the United States during the height of the Red Scare is reminiscent of the classical tragic hero brought to ruin by his character flaws.  At the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Chaplin: The Musical tries to channel both scenarios and therein lies its own flaws.   For despite the marvelous performance of Rob McClure in the title role Chaplin: The Musical is suffering from an identity crisis.

In many ways the first act of the play brings memories of another fanciful biographical musical, Barnum.   The audience is greeted with a film projection of the famous Little Tramp which seques into our hero balancing upon a tightrope high above the stage.   Designed to resemble the films of the silent era with a color scheme of black, white and gray that includes the set design of Beowulf Boritt, the costumes designed by Amy Clark and Martin Pakledinaz and even the make-up designed by Angelina Avallone the audience is immersed into a well-thought out iconic look that is nostalgic of the time.    The first act tracks Charlie Chaplin's rise to fame framed in several scenes as if his life were a film.   One of the frustrating parts of this production is that using film clapperboards to announce the scenes is only used sporadically which unfortunately foreshadows the inconsistant style of this well-meaning show.

There are several excellent performances in this first half of the tale of Chaplin's life.  Christiane Noll is poignant as Charlie's melancholy mother, Hannah and her performance has an appropriate haunting quality.  Zachary Unger has grave presence for one so young in his dual roles as the Young Charlie and  Charlie's famous child co-star Jackie Coogan.   Wayne Alan Wilcox as Charlie's older brother Sydney Chaplin is the rock steady support for his talented and reckless brother.  Michael McCormack gives us a glimpse of the filmmaking on a shoe-string budget that was Keystone Pictures as the impressario Mack Sennett.   The audience is charmed as we witness the birth of the Little Tramp and the immense popularity of one of Hollywood's most famous early stars.

Yet, act two, which covers the downfall of Charlie Chaplin caused by both his womanizing with women, and let's face it teenage girls, as well as his sympathy for socialist and communist causes that led to the revoking of his visa in 1952 seems like a completely different play.  The play runs a brisk two hours and fifteen minutes plus intermission and yet act two feels bogged down by sluggish pacing. The tone is naturally more somber, yet Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan's book feels slight to the potentially rich material.   The age of Chaplin's first wife is fleetingly mentioned (seventeen when she met him), and his first three marriages are treated with as little care as the boxing match that represents the financial support that the three women received upon their divorces.   Mr. Chaplin is depicted as longing to be a father, yet the musical implies that he only had children with his fourth and final wife, Oona O'Neill, which is fine for an artistic choice but is not reality.

Similarly the crusade of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, played with scene stealing verve by  Jenn Colella, is made to seem the petty revenge of someone angry that the great star Charlie Chaplin won't consent to appear on her radio program.   Hedda is given a tantalizing motivation when she says of the Hitler-spoofing film The Great Dictator that she wonders about the reaction to the film by the good German people.   This is a very provocative statement implying that Ms. Hopper might have fascist sympathies but it is a mere throw-a-way line.   The late in act two romance of Charlie and the charming Erin Mackay as Charlie's fourth wife, Oona O'Neill feels like a brief respite from the drive to hit all the biographical points so that we can reach the drama of Charlie's late in life redemption.

This is not to say that the musical is not worth the price of admission.   Seeing Rob McClure in the title role is reason enough to see this ambitious, flawed musical.  Mr. McClure has spark and charisma and when he transforms himself into the iconic Little Tramp it is a moment that well deserves any applause that it might gain from the audience.   The title role is a physically demanding one and Mr. McClure has gamely mastered the staging challenges of his director and choreographer Warren Carlyle.   Whether recreating scenes from Chaplin's films, balancing on a high wire or tap dancing on roller skates, Mr. McClure is definitely a star actor on the verge of Broadway success.

Chaplin: The Musical is being performed on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.chaplinbroadway.com or telecharge.com.

Red Hot Patriot : The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins at Arena Stage

What is it about liberal Texas political women that makes such entertaining theater?  Last season we were treated to Holland Taylor as Texas Governor Ann Richards at the Kennedy Center.   This season we have Kathleen Turner as the firebrand columnist Molly Ivins in Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins at Arena Stage.   The latter play does invite brief comparison to the earlier work.   Both are one-woman shows about strong very political women who left behind a wealth of insightful commentary on the challenges of becoming a powerful woman in their respective fields coming into their own by breaking barriers in their fields.   Both subjects call Texas the home of their heart and soul.   And both women are unabashed liberal Democrats.

What sets Red Hot Patriot apart is that Molly Ivins was not a politician, she was a journalist.   In fact the play is written by two journalists, Margaret and Allison Engel who in an interview with Arena Stage's Literary Manager in the program attest to their admiration for not only Ms. Ivins' skills and humor as a reporter, but their strong belieft that following her death in 2007 from cancer that they needed to create a one-woman play that would celebrate her eclectic life showcasing not only the ground-breaking journalist but the prolific writer and commentator of forty years of American political life.

Kathleen Turner proves a perfect choice to theatrically honor Molly Ivins. The small Kogod Cradle is the perfect setting for this show.   In a larger setting the intimacy that Ms. Turner creates with her audience would be swallowed up.   It is essential that Ms. Turner be able to engage with her audiences and she does so in with Texas charm edged with piss and vinegar.   Ms. Turner is delivering a vibrant performance that is a testament to no only her abilities as an actress, but the respect and love for Molly Ivins and the material the playwrights have crafted.   It is not a perfect show, but in this political town, Red Hot Patriot is the perfect way to laugh heartily at the political scene rather than rant about it, even if for a brief 80 minutes of theater.   And to ponder, as one leaves the theater, what would Molly say about it all now.

Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins will be performed in the Kogod Cradle at Arena Stage's Mead Center for American Theatre through October 28, 2012.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.arenastage.org.

Peter and the Starcatcher at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre

The boy who never grew up.  Pirates, fairies, mermaids.  Second star to the right and straight on to morning.   All familiar to anyone who has cherished the play and novels about Peter Pan written more than one hundred years ago by J.M. Barrie and the various theatrical and film adaptations that have followed.   Yet, what fun it was for Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson to reimagine the tale of how that ever youthful callow lad became Peter Pan in their 2004 novel Peter and the Starcatchers.   Now an adaptation of that novel has been lovingly crafted by playwright Rick Elice, directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and the Tony award winning designers of Peter and The Starcatcher now on stage in New York at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. 

Unlike other fantasies that have graced the Broadway stage, Peter and the Starcatcher relies on the appearance of a low budget staging. The setting uses colorful backdrops and the use of  found props to create intimate scenes or clever representations of native wildlife.   Add the seemingly well-worn Victorian-style costumes and the musical score by Wayne Barker and this scant company of twelve actors create such magic on the stage that the most cynical adult will by the end believe in the power of star stuff and the legend of the founding of Neverland.

In J.M. Barrie's 1902 novel, The Little White Bird, later republished in 1906 as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Peter Pan is described as a newborn who escaped his nursery window. In later adaptations he ran away because he heard his parents discussing his future adult life.   In Peter and the Starcatcher he is an abandoned orphan who is sold along with two other boys to Captain Slank of the ship Neverland to be delivered to the country of Rundoon.  Captain Slank is delivering one of two identical trunks belonging to Lord Aster.  Aster is traveling on the other ship, the Wasp under Captain Scott.   Slank marks one of the trunks and switches it so that he can possess its valuable cargo of star stuff.   Lord Astor sends his daughter Molly and her nurse Mrs. Bumbrake on the slower Neverland ship while he travels with the faster Wasp so that he can destroy the star stuff before it falls into evil hands.  

The trunks are switched and the Neverland is taken over by pirates led by the great and terrible Black Stache.   The clever and adventurous Molly joins forces with Peter and the orphans, a storm shipwrecks the Neverland and the star stuff begins to change the island they find themselves on in strange and mysterious ways.   Before the tale ends we will see the origins of many familiar characters and places in J.M. Barrie's fantasy world.

Peter and the Starcatcher deservedly earned its Tony wins for its amazing design elements.  The actors are a joy to watch as they spin the tale keeping the audience, which frequently includes small children, engaged throughout its brisk running time.  While Tony winner Christian Borle has left the show, Matthew Saldivar has capably taken up the mantle of the scenery chewing (in a good way) Black Stache.   A complete blowhard who does maintain an undercurrent of menace, Mr. Saldivar clearly is having as good a time performing the role as the audience is delighting in his performance.

Arnie Burton is delightful as Molly's nurse, Mrs. Bumbrake giving her just the right amount of saucy bravado mixed with Victorian sensibility.   Teddy Bergman fiercely defends his island home from contamination by the English as Fighting Prawn the chief of the island.   Rick Holmes has the right stiff upper lip as Lord Aster and Kevin Del Aguila the perfect slimy sidekick as the pirate Smee.   Adam Chanler-Berat as the Boy who becomes our hero creates pathos for the abused orphan and the gradual transformation from despairing lad to the future thorn in Captain Hook's side is delightful to watch as he is guided on his journey by his fateful encounter with Lord Aster's spunky daughter, Molly.

For Molly is the true heart of this play.  In the hands of Tony nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger, Molly Astor is full of spit and vinegar.  She yearns for adventure hoping beyond hope to earn her father's approval, yet rebelling from the strictures of Victorian girlhood.  Ms. Keenan-Bolger's Molly is on the cusp of blossoming womanhood yet has the gentle awkwardness of girls and boys of her age.   Comparisons to Barrie's Wendy are obvious, yet Molly is more than the mother that Peter and the other orphans lack.  She is their feisty equal.

If there is a flaw with the play it is minor.  There are several contemporary pop culture jokes.  While this does mean that they can be updated as needed, unlike a film adaptation where such additions would become quickly stale, they do detract from the universality of the story.

Peter and The Starcatcher is being performed at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City.  For tickets and other performance information please visit www.peterandthestarcatcher.com or www.ticketmaster.com.