Based on the 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.
Final Broadway performance August 21.
Director Diane Paulus coaxes compelling character portrayals. But the work fails to live up to the story's promise. Sure, there are lovely sprinklings of golden fairy dust and actors who take flight. But the music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy...too often lean towards syrupy ballads riddled with clichés...Morrison's Scottish accent sometimes flags and his presence in romantic scenes can seem a little under-energized. Still, there's more depth to his singing voice than one might expect from his TV role, and he has a fine rapport with the children...Gemme, as the serious-minded Peter who needs to find his childlike sense of play again, is especially moving and sings with strength and purity.
There's not enough flying in 'Finding Neverland' -- metaphorical flying, that is, those giddy flights of wit and imagination that make us believe, if not in fairies, then at least that the American musical is still alive and well. Despite the technical marvels that director Diane Paulus brings to producer Harvey Weinstein's beloved obsession, this ambitious version...remains stubbornly earthbound. The lead in its feet has a lot to do with the ponderous lyrics, but at the heart of the matter, this material doesn't cry out to be a musical...Morrison ('Glee') is extremely well cast as the hypersensitive Scottish playwright, investing him with a stirring voice and a tender heart. But what can he do for a repressed character whose cerebral solo numbers are internalized thoughts?...In a way, the whole show seems to be holding its breath for this death scene, which Paulus ('Pippin') has staged with imaginative flair...It's just too bad that this magic is all in the service of transporting Sylvia Llewelyn Davies off to her death -- er, that is, to Neverland. Try explaining that one to the kids.
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2016 | US Tour |
First US National Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Musical | Matthew Morrison |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lighting Design | Kenneth Posner |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | Simon Hale |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Scenic Design | Scott Pask |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Score | Gary Barlow |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Jonathan Deans |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Matthew Morrison |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Carolee Carmello |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Kelsey Grammer |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Matthew Morrison |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Finding Neverland |
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