Of course everyone knows J.M Barrie’s classic tale, Peter Pan. But what happened before Peter met Wendy?

Villanova Student Theatre tells the story in Peter and the Starcatcher, a theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s national best seller.

The show, nominated for nine Tony Awards in 2012, is “truly a magical experience,” according to Andrew McKeough; technical director, chief lighting designer, and president of the Music Activities Stage Crew.

McKeough continues: “It tells the story of a orphan boy with no name. The boy meets a girl named Molly and the two start on an adventure. This is the story of the boy before he was named Peter. Before Wendy. It tells the story of how Captain Hook lost his hand and how Neverland got its name. The beauty of this show, and the magic within, comes directly through the imagination of the audience. This is done by the creatively used props and set pieces.”

Peter and the Starcatcher received a rave review from The New York Times, with Ben Brantley writing: “When the H.M.S. Neverland goes down in Peter and the Starcatcher, it’s the most enthralling shipwreck since James Cameron sent the Titanic to her watery grave in the late 1990s […] It’s a performance that you might classify as over the top, but only in the sense that the entire production is.”

If you want to see marauding pirates, jungle tyrants, unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes this weekend, check out the showtimes below:

Feb. 19: 8 p.m.

Feb. 20: 8 p.m.

Feb. 21: 8 p.m.

Feb. 22: 8 p.m.

Feb. 23: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.

Contributions by Andrew McKeough (bio below):

ANDREW McKEOUGH (Technical Director) is happy to be joining the production team for Peter and the Starcatcher. As a senior communication and political science major from Wayne, Pennsylvania, this will be Andrew’s tenth production with VST and adds to over a 44 award-winning show history. Andrew has also previously served as stage manager for two previous VST productions and is the President of MASC. Andrew would like to thank his parents, Charles and Marylou and girlfriend Ashden for their loving support, director Vince for his countless hours and dedication, Christine Nass and Kim Riley for their patience and guidance, and to all the members of VST and MASC for their support of this show.