As the prequel to James Barrie’s famous character, Peter and the Starcatchers explains how Peter Pan came to be.  After recently enjoying the Tony Award winning Broadway green show * of Peter and the Starcatchers,  I downloaded the play’s inspiration – the first book in the series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson to my Kindle, and followed the adventures of a young orphaned boy who became the mischievous flying scamp.

Barry and Pearson involve all the familiar characters – the lost boys, the mermaids, the pirates, the local natives, the crocodile – but no TIger Lily or Wendy.  The pirate captain Black Stache loses his hand and gets his hook, but the Starcatchers are the focus of this tale.

Molly and her father, members of a small group of elite world protectors, with the help of talking porpoises, are escorting a trunk full of magic stardust to prevent its falling into the hands of the bad guys. Peter and his fellow orphans from St. Norbert’s have been conscripted to sail to the island of a despot.  Their paths cross with a mad pirate chase through a wild storm that lands them on an isolated island in the middle of nowhere.

When the stardust leaks out of its trunk, its strange power causes rats to fly, fish to turn into mermaids, and mortal wounds to heal.  The adventure is wild and adventurous with constant excitement.  By the end, Peter’s has eternal youth and flight dexterity with a new home and a protector – Tinkerbell.

If you are looking for a different holiday story that will secure the attention of young and old – clap your hands and show you believe.

* The green refers to the proscenium, stage floor, sets, and props – all created out of recycled objects – bottle corks, buttons, plastic bottles, rope – and a little magic.