Peter and the Starcatcher officially bowed on Broadway April 15, 2012 after a run at downtown’s New York Theatre Workshop. The play by Rick Elice (based upon the novel Peter and the Starcatchers byDave Barry and Ridley Pearson) was a whimsical, funny, and brash production and the first Broadway play for Disney Theatrical Productions. The unofficial prequel to the story of Peter Pan, it told the origins of several Pan characters, including Peter, Mrs. Darling, and Captain Hook. Co-directed by Alex Timbers and Roger Rees, the play delighted audiences for a total of 319 performances on Broadway before moving to New World Stages Off-Broadway. The play garnered nine Tony award nominations, including Best Play, and won five: Best Scenic Design for Donyale Werle, Best Costume Design for Paloma Young, Best Lighting Design for Jeff Croiter, Best Sound Design for Darron L. West, and making a Tony winner of now Broadway big name Christian Borle for his unbridled performance as Black Stache.
A big draw of Peter and the Starcatcher was its vibrant cast, many of whom remain in the spotlight today. What have the original cast members been up to since since sprinkling that last bit of starstuff when the show closed January 20, 2013?
Christian Borle, Black Stache
Borle won his first Tony Award for his performance as the swashbuckling Black Stache, who later became known as Captain Hook. Up to that point, Borle had been most famous for originating the role of Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde, though he made his Broadway debut replacing as Willard in Footloose (1998), appeared in the ensemble of Jesus Christ Superstar (2000), replaced as Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002), and was featured in Spamalot (2005). But Borle’s star power truly shone with Black Stache. Of course, he played Tom in NBC’s two seasons of Smash. His Broadway followup to Peter and the Starcatcher, was as Shakespeare in Something Rotten!, for which he earned his second Tony (a back-to-back Tony win). He was nominated for a Tony for his performance as Marvin in the limited Broadway run of Falsettos. He made his directorial debut in 2017 at the Riverbank Theater in Marine City, Michigan, with a production of Popcorn Falls (which bowed Off-Broadway in 2018), and originated the role of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that same year. He appeared in the musical episode of Netflix’s Gilmore Girls reboot alongside Sutton Foster and in 2018, he starred in the ENCORES! run of Me and My Girl and had a guest role on the TV Land show Younger, also opposite Foster. Notably, back in 2014, Borle revisited the Peter Pan narrative when he played Smee/George Darling in Peter Pan Live! on NBC.
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Molly
As the playful yet tough and highly intelligent Molly (destined to become Mrs. Darling), Keenan-Bolger earned her second Tony nomination, having been nominated for her debut in the role of Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, when she became a household Broadway name. After Peter and the Starcatcher, she she joined A.R.T.’s The Glass Menagerie, which transferred to Broadway, and earned her a third Tony nomination as well as a Drama Desk Award and the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence. She performed in productions of The Cherry Orchard and A Parallelogram, in addition to participating in readings of Shrek the Musical and The Brave Little Toaster: The Musical. Keenan-Bolger currently plays Scout Finch in the critically-acclaimed production of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theater alongside Jeff Daniels.
David Rossmer, Ted
Before acting as Peter’s constantly hungry orphan friend Ted, Rossmer had starred two lavish Broadway productions: as multiple characters in Titanic and as Yakov in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof. In 2005, heparticipated in a workshop of Zhivago at La Jolla Playhouse as Pasha Antipov/ Strelnikov. After Peter and the Starcatcher, Rossmer replaced as Thénardier in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Misérables. He also created the Off-Broadway musical The Other Josh Cohen with artistic partner Steve Rosen, writing the lyrics and performing the role of Narrator, which recently extended its through April 2019 at the Westside Theatre.
Greg Hildreth, Alf
The lovable but crass sailor was Hildreth’s second Broadway role, after appearing in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson in 2010. Since then, the actor has continued in the realm of lore and fairy tales. In 2013, he originated the role of Jean-Michelle in the Broadway debut of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and most recently originated Olaf in Disney’s Frozen. With a recurring role on The Good Wife and guest appearances on TV series The Americans, Royal Pains, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hildreth will play his last performance in Frozen February 17—when Ryann Redmond takes over in a gender swap of the role.
Rick Holmes, Lord Aster
Before he started speaking in Norse code to his daughter as the Queens’ serviceman in Peter and the Starcatcher, Holmes had appeared in eight Broadway shows—and has since appeared in three more. This Broadway vet was best known for his portrayal of Sir Lancelot in Monty Python’s Spamalot and replaced as Cliff Bradshaw in the 1998 revival of Cabaret. Onstage since the ‘90s, Holmes has been featured in Broadway mountings of The Government Inspector, Major Barbara, and The Pillowman. In 2015, he starred as Mr. Wormwood in Matilda the Musical and, later that year, as Father Josef in The Visit. Most recently, he appeared as Thomas Everson, Jr. in the Tony-nominated play Junk. Next, Holmes will play the character Fred Weaver in the upcoming FX series Fosse/Verdon.
Adam Chanler-Berat, Boy
Before originating the role of Boy (a.k.a. Peter), Chanler-Berat debuted on Broadway as Henry in Next to Normal. Since fulfilling his character’s forever-childhood destiny in Neverland, he’s performed in regional productions of The Fortress of Solitude and Sunday in the Park with George. More recently, he starred on Broadway as Nino in the 2017 musical Amélie, and Dauphine, Charles VII in last year’s revival of Saint Joan. Chanler-Berat has also won a number of small guest roles on TV series like VEEP, Elementary, and The Good Wife.
Isaiah Johnson, Captain Scott
After making his Broadway debut in the 2010 revival of The Merchant of Venice as the Prince of Morocco, Johnson played naval and explorer Captain Scott in the Peter Pan prequel. Since then, he has performed in two landmark Broadway productions in the past three years. First, in The Color Purple as Mister and now in a national touring company of Hamilton, playing George Washington. Up next, he'll also appear in OWN’s TV series David Makes Man, a story about a teenage prodigy in South Florida. The project is produced by Oprah Winfrey and written by Academy Award winner and Broadway playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, Choir Boy).
Teddy Bergman, Fighting Prawn
Despite his limited vocabulary onstage during his stint as the head of the Mollusk Islands in Peter and the Starcatcher, Bergman is more recently known for expanding his work beyond acting. He was nominated for Outstanding Director of a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards for KPOP The Musical, one of Off-Broadway’s biggest hits from the 2017–2018 season. He’s also a founding member and the artistic director of Woodshed Collective, an immersive theatre company based in New York City. He has directed works at the Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, and more. Bergman has appeared on screen in the television series Good Girls Revolt, The Affair, and Submissions Only.
Arnie Burton, Mrs. Bumbrake
Since playing Molly’s nanny onstage, this Broadway vet has continued to find work all over America. In 2017, he was honored with the Joe A. Callaway Actor’s Equity Award for his performance in The Government Inspector. Prior to Peter and the Starcatcher he was in the original Broadway company of The 39 Steps and A Free Man of Color. Afterwards, he returned to Broadway in 2014 with Machinal. Most recently, he’s appeared in regional and Off-Broadway productions of Lewiston and Clarkston, The Royal Family of Broadway, and Lonely Planet.
Kevin Del Aguila, Smee
Playing the loyal first mate to Black Stache was Del Aguila’s Broadway debut, but industry insiders already knew him. He wrote the book for Altar Boyz, which ran Off-Broadway for 2,032 performances from 2005 to 2010, and earned a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Book of a Musical. In addition, he directed and wrote the book for the 2012 Off-Broadway production of The Velveteen Rabbit. After Peter and the Starcatcher closed, the triple-threat took the reins of his career by directing, writing and acting in various projects. He wrote stage adaptations of Dreamworks’ Madagascar and Nickelodeon’s Storytime Live. Del Aguila won Daytime Emmy Awards in 2015 and 2016 as a part of the writing team for the children’s program Peg + Cat. On Broadway, he was part of the original company of Rocky (2014) and currently plays Oaken in Frozen alongside fellow Neverlandian Hildreth.
Carson Elrod, Prentiss
Though Elrod has not returned to the Main Stem since Peter and the Starcatcher, he’s worked steadily on stage and screen. Before Peter and the Starcatcher, Elrod appeared as Tim Allgood in the 2001 revival of Noises Off, and Roy in the 2004 play Reckless. After his final Lost Boy performance, he moved to television, appearing on Person of Interest, and Elementary, and working on stage productions of 2013’s The Explorer’s Club (Lucille Lortel nomination for featured actor) and 2014’s The Heir Apparent (Lucille Lortel nomination for leading actor). Most recently, he starred in the 2018 short film The Unsilent Picture.
Matt D'Amico, Slank
Peter and the Starcatcher marked D’Amico’s Broadway debut. D’Amico has appeared in regional productions such as Fizz at Ohio Theater and participated in works at the Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, and Actors Theater of Louisville.
The Understudies
While they didn’t appear on stage every night, three of the show's understudies have gone on to become recognizable names. Jason Ralph, now married to Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), understudied for the lead role and went on to star as Boy after the play moved to New World Stages. He now plays the lead role of Quentin Coldwater in SyFy’s hit series The Magicians. John Sanders played Black Stache on the U.S. tour after understudying Borle on Broadway. Since then, he's performed in the casts of Groundhog Day as Ned Ryerson and Matilda the Musical as Mr. Wormwood and appeared on TV shows like Elementary and Billions. Orville Mendoza, who understudied for several characters like Smee, Alf and Fighting Prawn, has guested on The Blacklist, with appearances in several national commercials, and consistent performances in Off-Broadway and regional productions, including the acclaimed 2017 revival of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage Company. Betsy Hogg, who took over the role of Molly for the final weeks of the Broadway run, has been seen in leading roles at regional theatres across the country (Barrington Stage, McCarter, Two River, Pioneer, St. Louis Rep, Florida Rep), and has worked at The Mint, Queens Theatre, and MTC in New York. You can also spot her alongside Jason's wife, Rachel, in the pilot of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
