It is based on the 2004 novel Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and adapted for the stage by Rick Elice with music by Wayne Barker. The play premiered in 2011 at the La Jolla Playhouse in California, then transferred to Off-Broadway. It opened on Broadway in April 2012 going on to win five Tony Awards.

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In the play, a young orphan, and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England aboard a vessel with a mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin. At sea, the boys and a resourceful young girl named Molly realize that the trunk contains a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates, led by the fearsome Black Stache, the real adventure begins.

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Featuring 16 actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable and hilarious characters, the family-friendly show uses elements of pop-up books in the scenic design, steam punk in the costuming, stop-action video, and projection elements that take audiences on the magical journey.

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Directed by Mindy Cooper and Toby Sedgwick

Book by Rick Elice

Music by Wayne Barker

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Presented by UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance

February 27 – March 7, 2020

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