The lights fade in as many different characters sit, staggered across the stage. A young boy, Peter, exclaims “When I was a boy I wished I could fly.” Moments later, pirates flood the stage aboard ships, ready to head off along the many adventures to come.

This year’s freshman play, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” was a prequel to the story of Peter Pan. Directed by Summer Williams, the play portrayed how friendship is the most magical thing of all.

The plot consisted of a young orphan boy, played by freshman Eric Traub, being thrown aboard a ship, called “Neverland,” on which he meets a wide-eyed adventurous girl, Molly, played by freshman Emiko Iguchi. Molly must complete her mission to protect the magical stardust from getting into the wrong hands. However, when her new friend is thrown off the ship, she soon has to make a difficult choice between helping her friend survive or completing her mission to protect the stardust.

One of my favorite moments was when Molly and Peter sat together as they gazed at the stars. Above all the seats in the black box, there were Christmas lights, giving a starry-night look. This only enhanced the emotional scene when Molly confesses her mission to Peter.

The acting was truly captivating. Iguchi’s performance of the character, Molly, brought a new light to the view of women as strong and independent. The solidification of this idea carried throughout the play with lines such as “be a woman,” when exhorting herself to be strong.

The three narrators, freshmen Eve Waldron, Lilah Sesling and Anushah Kahoussi, helped the audience in understanding everything from the magic to the many different characters and their individual storylines.

Freshman Jamie Hintz gave an eery, yet comical performance as Black Stache. The audience chuckled at his humorous puns with lines like, “The stache is on everyone’s lips!”.

One of the many notable moments was when the fish turned into mermaids due to the magic in the stardust and sang a beautiful rendition of “Mermaid Out of Me.”

The stage was beautifully crafted as well. A large set of rustic stairs stood in the middle of the stage. A crow’s nest, the bucket shape of the ship closest to the top, perched at one end of the stage. The other side had various assortments of ropes, creating a pirate ship aura.

Finally, the costumes were incredible. Each character seemed to have a particular color scheme which matched their personality. Molly wore a long white dress, her hair tied with a blue ribbon bow. It hinted towards the character’s innocence and elegance. Black Stache wore a vibrant purple top, and, of course, had a thick mustache.

Especially as we get older, it becomes harder to believe in the magic we knew when we were younger. “Peter and the Starcatcher” is helpful in reminding us that there is magic everywhere, especially in the bond between friends.

“Peter and the Starcatcher will run again on 12/8 at 7:30 pm and 12/9 at 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm in the Black Box”