Sandy Duncan Departs Broadway's FINDING NEVERLAND Early?

Sandy Duncan, the beloved stage and screen actress known for her magical, high-flying, Tony-nominated performance as 'Peter Pan' on Broadway, returned to Neverland over the weekend as 'Madame du Maurier' in FINDING NEVERLAND. But her return to the classic fantasy realm -- and onstage in New York -- has been short-lived.

The New York Post writes that Duncan has departed the show after less than a week due to "personal reasons," with the possibility of returning. Rumor is the actress "didn't work" in the role, despite the fact that producer Harvey Weinstein has not been to see her perform.

BroadwayWorld has reached out to the FINDING NEVERLAND team for an official comment. Duncan was originally scheduled to perform in the role through March 27, 2016.

When the official announcement of her return was made, Sandy Duncan said in a statement, "It's surreal being back at the Lunt-Fontanne where I opened Peter Pan in 1979. There's a real sense of nostalgia for me in joining this company. So many moments and bits of dialogue in Finding Neverland really bring me back to those days in Peter Pan and to all the folks with whom I shared that experience. I'm looking forward to being a part of the story from a different angle and sharing the stage with yet another group of talented actors. I feel extremely fortunate. Also, Kelsey, I'd like my old dressing room back please!"

Sandy Duncan's credits include - Broadway: Chicago (as Roxie Hart), Canterbury Tales (Tony Award nomination), The Boyfriend (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Awards),Peter Pan (Tony Award nomination) and My One and Only (with Tommy Tune & husband Don Correia). N.Y. City Center: No No Nanette, Music Man, Carousel, Life with Father and Finian's Rainbow. Off-Broadway: The Fourth Wall, Ceremony of Innocence (Theatre World Award) and Your Own Thing. Los Angeles: Vanities (LA Drama Critics nomination). Other select stage: Driving Miss Daisy, The Glass Menagerie, A Body of Water (Old Globe Theatre), Steel Magnolias, Free Fall (wrote and starred in at Berkshire Theatre Festival), 5,6,7,8 Dance! (Radio City), I Do! I Do! (with James Naughton), Love Letters (with Peter Fonda) and South Pacific (with Michael Nouri). Television: Funny Face (Emmy nomination), Roots (Emmy nomination) and The Hogan Family. Specials: Sandy in Disneyland and The Sandy Duncan Special. Made for television movies: My Boyfriend's Back andMiracle on 1-880, Pinocchio (with Danny Kaye), Law and Order and The Muppet Show. Animation: My Little Pony, The Fox and the Hound, Rock-a-Doodle, Swan Lake and I Am Curious.

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.

Photo Credit: Jessica Fallon Gordon