With its strong female characters and subversion of expectations, the UMass Boston performing arts department hooked its audience last week with the story of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” a prequel to the classic tale of Peter Pan. The production opened April 9 and closed its final curtain April 18.

“Peter and the Starcatcher” originally debuted on Broadway in April 2012. Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, “Peter and the Starcatcher” details how Peter Pan earned his name and his first encounters with Captain Hook and Tinkerbell.

With all the beloved “Peter Pan” characters, the show brings a unique twist with the introduction of a new heroine, Molly Aster. Molly’s character provides a backstory to Mrs. Darling, Wendy’s mother from Disney’s classic 1953 rendition of “Peter Pan.”

In UMass Boston’s “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Molly Aster, played by Anna Eliza Pumphrey, highlights the power young women have despite existing in a patriarchal society.

“I identify with her in a lot of ways,” Pumphrey said, “when it comes to how she deals with adversity and how she just instinctually does not think that she’s any less than a boy even though society tells her differently.” Molly’s defiance of patriarchal norms makes her a heroine that many young girls can look up to.

Another character, Black Stache, better known as Captain Hook, is characterized by his thick distinguished accent and the overpowering terror he instills in the people around him. Aidan Butler, who plays Black Stache, emphasized Hook’s theatricality to make the character his own.

“I’m an outside-in actor,” said Butler, “so I do the voice and I do the motions. Then it’s sort of positive feedback loops from there. And that’s when I feel it.” Black Stache’s comedic timing resonated throughout the audience in the performance, resulting in nonstop laughter during the play.

The other half of the comedic duo is Smee, the iconic character featured in “Peter Pan.” Smee, played by Sam Stanley, served as Black Stache’s right hand man and devoted follower.

“I wanted to have that dedication manifest into the character itself,” Stanley said. “So every time I talk to Stash, every time that I’m doing something on stage, I’m paying attention to every single detail. Every single movement that I do on stage is basically to Stash’s whim.” Smee’s dedication to Hook is evident in every line and every action.

The play is set at sea, with the Black Box Theatre transformed into a dirty pirate ship. Amy Sue Hazel, Sierra Wilcox and Lucy Rodgers designed the set with help from Hannah Rolston, the show’s prop master. Wooden pallets, painted to resemble dirty ship walls, littered the sides of the theatre, adorned with a dirtied Union Jack flag. Rope and curtains were draped across the black interior, and wooden crates scattered across the floor comprised the deck of the ship.

Rolston and Hazel designed lightweight crates for easy pirate handling and stage decor. “We came across this wooden barrel,” Rolston said. “And we both were like, wouldn’t it be so cool if we could just throw it, because on pirate ships they’re throwing barrels.” Together, they learned how to build a barrel using foam painted to look like wood. It was thrown in one of the first scenes.

The show’s stage manager, Sarah Schnieder, oversaw the entire show and was involved in all the small details. “If you could have sat day one, first rehearsal, when we’re doing our table read and seen the progress we’ve made for today,” Schneider said. “It’s a beautiful show that makes me really proud as the person who sat there and had been the one yelling at them.”

Despite it being her first time as assistant director, Georgia Hauber helped mold the show into what it was on stage. “I got to watch it from start to finish,” Hauber said, “and sort of see the way it progressed in all areas, like design, acting, directing.”

Many crew members had never seen behind the scenes of a production before coming to “Peter and the Starcatcher.” “I was always an actor in high school — I never really did tech, so it was a good learning experience,” said Shane Keleshian, the show’s production assistant.

Ava Stuart, on wardrobe crew, shared a similar experience. “It’s cool to see in real time how much work crew actually puts into making sure the actors look good,” Stuart said. “As an actor, it’s been a very eye-opening experience to be on crew and see all that hard work.”

Lighting board operator Reva Raj Thakur shared how much fun taking part in the production was. “There is this scene during the show, when everyone is dancing in a circle and there’s like a focus light,” Thakur said. “I think that’s my favorite part because it’s so joyful and everyone’s just like dancing around. You’ll catch us dancing up there to the song, so I love that.”

Together, the cast and crew put on an incredible performance. The time, work and dedication poured into the production over months shows clearly in the final show.