Brisbane’s renowned Dead Puppet Society, and a great cast including Colin Lane, Pete Helliar, Alison Whyte and Paul Capsis, take audiences on a lively, amusing romp to Neverland.

Adapted by Rick Elice from the 2004 novel Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, this Peter Pan prequel found its feet in San Diego and Off-Broadway before making its Broadway debut in 2012.

Peter and the Starcatcher. Photo © Daniel Boud

A play with music set in the 19th century, Peter and the Starcatcher is initially all at sea and driven by dastardly double-crosses and disguises: a trunk of top-secret “starstuff” is switched with one full of sand before they are loaded onto two different ships.

In the second half, those aboard including Molly, her father Lord Aster and nanny Mrs Bumbrake, three orphan boys, Black Stache and his fellow pirates unexpectedly arrive at an island. Some are captured by locals led by Fighting Prawn.

Meanwhile, the lost starstuff has magical effects including turning fish into mermaids and supersizing crocodile Mr Grin. It also changes one of the orphans, who is given the name Peter Pan on the island.