Review: FINDING NEVERLAND at The Overture Center

From the initial spot of light which danced upon the closed curtain to the beautiful Tableau at the end, Finding Neverland is sure to delight!

In this musical adaptation of the true story of J.M. Barrie's discovery of Peter Pan, Jess Sullivan does a marvelous job of captivating the audience through whimsey and child like joy. Between amazing vocals and precision choreography the audience left with smiles on their faces and not less than a few tears.

While the first act seemed to drag, the affair between Mary Barrie (Ashley Edler) and Lord Cannan (Michael Luongo) was both captivating and tragic, and any slowing of the show during that act, was made up for in spades during act two.

While I ordinarily find a stage with children and a dog to be a trite gimmick, in this production it was not only necessary, but worked very well, thank to the professionalism and talent of those kids! Seth Edley, Paul Schoeller, Josiah Smother, and Brody Bett, all did an amazing job at their portrayal of the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired the show. Their vocals, choreography and theatrical presence brought a sense of realism to this fantastic tale of a man finding his own inner child.

Ruby Gibbs played the role of the boys mother, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, with dignity and poise. She was real and present in every scene and was amazing in the scene, in which, arguably the best use of chiffon in theatric history, was used.

Go. Take the family and let them experience the magic of how the magic was restored to one lone man in the late 1800's. You will not be disappointed

IS COMING TO MADISON OPENING TUESDAY, JAN. 8 AT OVERTURE CENTER

Madison, Wis. - Casting has been announced for FINDING NEVERLAND, the enchanting Broadway musical making its way to Madison's Overture Center January 8-13, 2019. Tickets are available at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), by phone (608.258.4141) or online (overture.org). Groups of 10+ may be eligible for discounted tickets; for information, please call 608.258.4159.

The cast will be led by Jeff Sullivan (J.M. Barrie) and Ruby Gibbs (Sylvia), with Conor McGiffin (Charles Frohman/Captain James Hook), Emmanuelle Zeesman (Mrs. DuMaurier), Seth Erdley, Caleb Reese Paul, Paul Schoeller, Ethan Stokes (Wisconsin native), Brody Bett and Josiah Smothers. The ensemble includes Marie Choate, Josh Dunn, Ashley Edler, Joshua William Green, Daniel S. Hayward, Benjamin Henley, Elizabeth Lester, Allison Lian, Michael Luongo, André Malcolm, Spenser Micetich, Melody Rose, Kelsey Seaman, Adrien Swensonand Paul Thiemann.

Performance schedule:

Tuesday, Jan. 8-Thursday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

• Thurs. performance features post-show talkback with cast/crew in the theater

Friday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 13 at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Based on the Academy Award-winning Miramax motion picture by David Magee, and the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee, FINDING NEVERLAND follows the relationship between playwright J.M. Barrie and the family that inspired Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up - one of the most beloved stories of all time.Diane Paulus' FINDING NEVERLAND with direction recreated by Tour Director Mia Walker and Associate Choreographer Camden Loeser with book by Olivier Award®-nominee James Graham, music and lyrics by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Grammy Award®- winner Eliot Kennedy, and original choreography by Emmy Award®-winner Mia Michaels ("So You Think You Can Dance," Cirque du Soleil's Delirium). FINDING NEVERLAND is packed with mesmerizing visuals, irresistible songs and plenty of laughs, it is a timeless story about the power of imagination... and spectacular proof that you never really have to grow up.

The production features scenic design by Tony Award®-winner Scott Pask (The Band's Visit, Mean Girls), lighting design by Tony Award®-winner Kenneth Posner (Mean Girls, The Coast of Utopia, Pippin), costume design by Suttirat Larlarb (Waitress, Of Mice and Men), sound design by Shannon Slaton, hair and make-up design by Bernie Ardia, projection design by Jon Driscoll, music supervision by Fred Lassen, musical direction by Patrick Hoagland, Illusions by Paul Kieve and Air Sculpture by Daniel Wortzel, animal direction and training by William Berloni, Tony Award Honoree, of William Berloni Theatrical Animals (Annie, Legally Blonde) and casting by Stewart/Whitley.

Tickets are available at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), by phone (608.258.4141) or online (overture.org). Groups of 10+ may be eligible for discounted tickets; for information, please call 608.258.4159.

FINDING NEVERLAND, produced by NETworks Presentations, is part of the 2018/19 Broadway at Overture Series, presented in partnership with Broadway Across America with additional support from Bell Laboratories, Inc., and UW Credit Union.

OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wis., features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 600,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA is part of The John Gore Organization family of companies, which includesBroadway.com, under the supervision of 11-time Tony-winning producer John Gore (Owner & CEO). Current and past productions include Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Groundhog Day, Hairspray, Hello, Dolly!, Million Dollar Quartet, On Your Feet!, The Producers, School of Rock and Waitress BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com; Broadway.com

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