CdA Summer Theatre catches a star with ‘Peter’

“Peter and the Starcatcher” isn’t a musical.

But it has a ton of music in it. And a lot of that music is quite hard, said Jadd Davis, artistic director of Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, which is opening the regional premiere of the Tony-winning play this weekend in Leavenworth (in a co-production with the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts) before bringing the show home to Coeur d’Alene on Thursday.

“It’s a unique piece of theater,” he said. “It think it’s termed ‘a play with music,’ sort of in the same ballpark as a show like ‘War Horse.’ ”

The play, written by Rick Elice from the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is a prequel to “Peter Pan,” set well before Peter ever flew off to London to meet Wendy. Here, he’s among a group of orphaned boys sold into the service of a nasty captain Bill Slank. There are pirates, a treasure chest and adventures. It won five Tony Awards (of nine nominations, including for best play) and a slew of other accolades.

That CST is getting a crack at a play as new as “Peter and the Starcatcher” is not a surprise; Laura Little, who until recently was executive director of the theater company, was among the producers for the show’s Broadway run in 2012.

“We were one of the very first to get it and everybody wanted it,” she said. “From the day it hit Broadway I had theaters all over the Northwest that called to say, ‘Hey, can we get it first? Can we get it?’ And I was saying, ‘I’ve got to give it to Summer Theatre first.’ ”

Because it’s not structured as a typical musical – although Act II opens with a full-on musical style number – it’s a challenging show to cast, Davis said. CST spent five months to cast the show, with 12 actors playing multiple roles.

“You need musical theater actors to pull off this show, but they have to be extraordinary actors,” he said.

In other words, the performers cannot get by on their vocal chops alone.

That cast includes Aimee Paxon and Aubrey Shimek Davis, both playing roles intended for men, and Jadd Davis playing a role written to be played in drag. “We had some fun with casting,” Jadd Davis said, “and the effect is super entertaining.”

Nik Hagen and Sophia Franzella play young Peter and his friend Molly. The villain of the piece, the pirate Black Stache, is played by Spokane native Brandon O’Neill. O’Neill, former lead singer of the local band Rough Congress, switched to acting several years ago. He’s had a successful career in Seattle and originated the role of Kassim in the Broadway production of “Aladdin.”

So what makes “Peter and the Starcatcher” unusual? Both Davis and Little point to its humor – the story was co-written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist, after all. The humor is “adult,” but not too adult – meaning it’s fine for children, but some of the jokes will go over their head, Little said.

Davis likens some of the humor to Monty Python. “The character I play is a woman, so basically I spend the entire show sounding like a Monty Python character,” he said. “Everything is silly and heightened, then it turns on a dime and has these moments of intense sincerity.” Tissues are advised.

Also something different? The sets. Or lack of sets. The stage is decorated with barrels, some rope, a ladder – and some “spectacular” lighting effects, Little said.

“It’s about as simple as you can make a show,” she said. “The audience just forgets there are no sets. They don’t care. They’re so intrigued by the storyline and the humor of the show. …

“It’s a genius piece of work,” she said.