It isn't often Canberra lands the Australian premiere of an award-winning Broadway production.
So it's special that Peter and the Starcatcher is flying to the Canberra to begin its Australian tour.
Written by Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), who adapted a novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the show is not a musical, although there is live music and there are a couple of songs accompanied by guitar and percussion.
Peter and the Starcatcher's director and designer David Morton is the creative director of Dead Puppet Society, which is co-producing this play, and which last brought a show, The Wider Earth, to the Canberra Theatre Centre in 2022. That production was based on the true story of Charles Darwin while Peter and the Starcatcher is a fantasy inspired by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.
"It's a pre-Neverland story that features the characters we know and love - Tinker Bell, Peter, Captain Hook, the Crocodile," Morton said.
"We meet them before they become the characters we know."
Without giving too much away, there are two ships at sea, each containing a trunk (one containing the Queen's treasure, the other a decoy), a magic amulet, pirates, stardust and much more.
Morton said there was "a fun sense of realisation" for the audience as the story unfolds.
"Not all the characters are obvious from the outset," he said.
There will be 15 performers on stage who'll be kept busy bringing the story and its 100 characters to life.
"The same ensemble does everything - music, puppets, actors," Morton said.
"Every human character will be played by a human actor."
The puppets will portray non-human characters - sea creatures, a giant kraken, a flock of flamingos, a sulphur-crested cockatoo and many more - as well as objects such as ships. Their operators will be in full view of the audience, in a style akin to Japanese bunraku, but that spectators would quickly adjust and soon be caught up the story, the characters and the jokes and wordplay in the script.
"Some of the puppets are simple, held in the hand, while others are very big."
The crocodile is 13 metres long.
It might be difficult to compete with all that, but the show's human cast will do their best. They include Colin Lane (Lano & Woodley) Alison Whyte (Frontline), Paul Capsis (La Cage Aux Folles) and Olivia Deeble (Home and Away).
And Peter Helliar, known from The Project and The Amazing Race. Helliar, who's used to performing live stand-up comedy as well as TV work, said part of the appeal of the Peter and the Starcatcher was "it's something I've never done before: theatre where I'm playing a role".
The closest he's been to doing that previously was playing the narrator in The Rocky Horror Show but even that involved audience interaction.
"This is something a little bit terrifying - this is a completely different type of challenge," Helliar said.
He wasn't expecting to be approached for this show.
"I didn't have to audition, it was an offer ... they saw something in me. They believed me," Helliar said.
"They've only got themselves to blame!"
Helliar - interviewed before rehearsals were in full swing - will be playing Lieutenant Greggors, Captain Black Stache's sidekick. For those familiar with Peter Pan it isn't much of a spoiler to say they are the characters who will become Mr Smee and Captain Hook.
"We spend a bit of time on stage together - some of it is beautiful and sweet," Helliar said.
"It's a romance - there's a love story going on there."
Helliar visited Dead Puppet Society's workshop and was impressed.
"I think they're geniuses - I can't wait to play with some of the puppets," Helliar enthused.
His biggest regret about the show?
"I won't be able to see it!" he said.
- Peter and the Starcatcher is on at the Canberra Theatre from October 15 to 27. See: canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
