It's Official: Anthony Warlow Will Join FINDING NEVERLAND Into the Fall

We reported it first last week, and now it's official as word is just in that Broadway and Australian stage vet Anthony Warlow will return to Broadway this summer when he steps into the roles of "Charles Frohman" and "Captain Hook" in mid-July. There is still no word on the star's exact start date, or the reason for Kelsey Grammer's temporary departure. Warlow will remain in the show until September 13, when Kelsey Grammer, who originated the role on Broadway, returns as Captain of the pirate ship.

Finding Neverland currently plays to sold-out houses at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre where, since beginning performances in March, the production has pulled in over one million-dollars in sales a week, establishing itself as this summer's must-see show or all audiences.

Anthony Warlow forged an enviable reputation over the span of his career, on the operatic and commercial theatre stage. Blessed with a thrilling voice and a gift for mimicry, he has successfully inhabited an extraordinary diversity of roles from high opera to musical comedy, and his versatility has enthralled Australian audiences ever since his 1981 debut with the Australian opera at the age of 19. Making the most coveted role in music theatre (The Phantom of the Opera '1990 & 2007-2009) his own, set the seal on Anthony's status as the country's premier stage performer. The accolades that ensued included the prestigious Advance Australia Award for Contribution to Music Theatre and in 1998 the nation and the "National Trust" elected him a Living National Treasure. He was thrilled to make his Broadway debut in 2012 as "Daddy Warbucks" in Annie. His portrayal was lauded with critical acclaim and nominations for Drama Desk and Drama League awards. Anthony was most recently seen in Washington D.C. with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in their highly praised production of Man Of La Mancha.

About Finding Neverland, Warlow said, "This beautiful production has rekindled my love for Musical Theatre."

Finding Neverland follows playwright J.M. Barrie as he summons the courage to become the writer - and the man - he yearns to be. Barrie finds the inspiration he's been missing when he meets the beautiful widow Sylvia and her four young sons: Jack, George, Michael and Peter. Delighted by the boys' hilarious escapades, Barrie conjures the magical world of Neverland and writes a play unlike any the high-society London theatergoers have ever seen. It's a tremendous risk, but as Barrie himself has discovered- when you believe, you can fly. Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair),with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Grammy winner Eliot Kennedy, book by Olivier Award nominee James Graham, and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Mia Michaels ("So You Think You Can Dance," Cirque du Soleil's Delirium), this new musical, packed with mesmerizing visuals, irresistible songs and plenty of laughs, is a timeless story about the power of imagination... and spectacular proof that you never really have to grow up.

Finding Neverland features a cast of Broadway's best led by Matthew Morrison ("Glee," South Pacific), Anthony Warlow (Annie, Phantom of the Opera), Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins) and Carolee Carmello (Parade), with Teal Wicks, Alex Dreier, Aidan Gemme, Jackson Demott Hill, Noah Hinsdale, Sawyer Nunes, Christopher Paul Richards, Hayden Signoretti with Courtney Balan, Dana Costello, Colin Cunliffe, Rory Donovan, Chris Dwan, Kevin Kern, Josh Lamon, Melanie Moore, Mary Page Nance, Fred Odgaard, Emma Pfaeffle, Jonathan Ritter, Tyley Ross, Julius Anthony Rubio, Paul Slade Smith, Ron Todorowski, Jaime Verazin and Jessica Vosk.

The production features scenic design by Tony Award-winner Scott Pask (Pippin, Book of Mormon), lighting design by Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner(The Coast of Utopia, Pippin), costume design by Suttirat Larlarb (Of Mice and Men), sound design by Tony Award-nominee Jonathan Deans (Pippin, La Cage aux Folles) and the casting is by Telsey + Company.

Finding Neverland is produced by Weinstein Live Entertainment, The Madison Square Garden Company, Len Blavatnik, Ron Burkle, Radenko Milakovicand Bryan Cranston in association with Jason Blum, Broadway Across America, Stephen Bronfman, Rodgin Cohen, Michael Cohl, Jean Doumanian, Chad Dubea, Rick Gerson, Jeremiah J. Harris, Sh. Mohammed Y. El Khereiji, Terry Allen Kramer, Howard Milstein, Dalip Pathak, Steve Rattner, Jimmy Sommers, Peter Stavola, Marvin Peart, and The American Repertory Theater. The production is Executive Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, Alecia Parker, and Victoria Parker.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos