“Star stuff” is a euphemism, right?

In a whimsy-drenched Peter Pan prequel, “Peter and the Starcatcher” flies into Civic Theatre of Allentown’s Theatre514 as an exploration toward the fantastical.

Whether read as a psychedelic-inducing adaptation of Peter Pan lore, or consumed as an eccentric children’s odyssey, this barebones experiment reminds of magic that once was.

Presented in vignettes met with rapid-fire dialogue and a melting pot of purposefully inconsistent accents, this two-act adventure really starts to feel like a memory: a hazy portrait of childlike freedom.

Neverland, in a way, always felt like a playground. That is no different when the same concept is applied to stage in a very animated, albeit deconstructed, black box theater. An ensemble of 12, dutifully armored with their own sense of magic, is just sending an invite to their game.

Shapelessness dictates how “Peter and the Starcatcher” unfolds best. Plot is traded for wit, and normalcy is exchanged for the absurd. Shortly into the production, with a few heartily-sung interludes, audiences are catapulted into a bizarrely, though well-intentioned, interactive story. Something that feels limitless, that is.

The departure from traditional spectatorship allows this Peter Pan tale to feel infinitely singular despite its many predecessors. Feeling that childlike reality, and the cheekiness of being forever innocent, works when you become that “Lost Boy” yourself.

Inhabiting the Lost Boy spirit with gravity, and serving as the heartbeat of a lead-free show, is Katherine Semon as Molly Aster. The plot, if one were to be discerned, centers around Pan’s origin story. And, in that, Molly becomes the reliable narrator doubled as the human personification of hope.

Semon leads throughout with a light, yet multilayered, approach throughout. Their comedic timing was apt, and their interweaving through made-up language inspired a night with Duolingo.

Every character helps shape the audience into a choir of audible laughter, prescriptive almost.

Shaun Hayes, the Lehigh Valley’s Christian Bale of pirate roles, nearly morphed the production into a Captain Hook standup special.

Touting the name “Black Stache,” Hayes adopts the Hook prototype with appropriate bravado. Their turn as Pan’s archenemy-in-training is exhilarating and felt like the beloved cartoon came to life. Black Stache, or Captain Hook, much like Will Windsor Erwin’s Mrs. Bumbrake, is a lesson in effective flamboyancy: the best characters always have a bit of edge.

Mrs. Bumbrake, a little uncomfortably close to Mrs. Doubtfire’s likeness, made the most of their time on their minimalist adventure. Erwin commanded each moment with regulated confidence, and a wealth of innuendos to lend the show some continued lightheartedness. It is a show about hating grownups, after all. It should be silly. It should be grounded in immaturity.

Giving the show its emotional weight is Anthony Rizzuto and their take on the titular character before introduced as Peter Pan. Rizzuto, even in the way they just inhabited the playground around them, feels immediately connected.

Empathy emanated, and without quite knowing what to call it, Rizzuto just found a way to make audiences feel young again. Maybe it was the star stuff, or maybe it was their tangibly pure and almost guilt-free performance. Either way, Rizzuto adds a much needed element to give this playful production some evocativeness, a reason for it to exist in the extended Peter Pan shared universe.

Nick Conti, Nik Georgievski, Bill Hoblin, Mark Ingram, Mason McGowan, Dylan Miller, Paul Reed and Todd Rizzuto, round out this unlikely group of adventurers.

“Peter and the Starcatcher” is pioneered by a collective of individual artists responsible for steering the ship; without one more Lost Boy, without one more pirate, without someone holding a flying cat, this type of production would fall flat.

There’s a reason that when we remember childhood, we remember those around us: we remember community. That is the recipe for that magic, that star stuff.

“Peter and the Starcatcher,” 7:30 p.m. March 15, 20, 21, 22, 23; 2, 7:30 p.m. March 16; 2 p.m. March 24. Civic Theatre of Allentown, Theatre514, 514 N. 19th St., Allentown. 610-432-8943, https://civictheatre.com/