''Finding Neverland'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy and a book by James Graham adapted from the 1998 play ''The Man Who Was Peter Pan'' by

Allan Knee Allan Knee is an American film and television writer and playwright who authored the following: Stage *''Little Women'' (Broadway musical) (2005) *''The Man Who was Peter Pan'' (42nd Street Workshop 'Off-Broadway. (March 1998) *''Late Nite Comic' ...

and its 2004 film version '' Finding Neverland''. An early version of the musical made its world premiere at the

Curve Theatre The Curve Theatre is a theatre in Leicester, England, based in the cultural quarter in Leicester City Centre. Before being named ''Curve'', it was referred to as ''Leicester Performing Arts Centre''. It is adjacent to the Leicester Athena confe ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in 2012 with a book by Allan Knee, music by Scott Frankel and lyrics by Michael Korie. A reworked version with the current writing team made its world premiere in 2014 at the American Repertory Theater in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. Following completion of its Cambridge run, the production transferred to Broadway in March 2015. After a 17-month Broadway run, ''Finding Neverland'' closed on 21 August 2016, and began a U.S. national tour the following month.

Background

On 6 February 2011, La Jolla Playhouse, California, announced that they would produce a new stage musical based on the film with the book by

, score by Scott Frankel (music) and Michael Korie (lyrics), and directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford. A planned production at La Jolla Playhouse was not held. A developmental reading was held in New York on 31 March 2011, with

Julian Ovenden Julian Mark Ovenden (born 29 November 1976) is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert ...

, Kelli O'Hara, Tony Roberts, Mary Beth Peil,

Michael Cumpsty Michael Cumpsty (born 28 February 1960) is a British actor. He has been acting since childhood. He has worked extensively performing Shakespeare, as well as both musicals and dramas on Broadway. He also performs in films and on television. Li ...

, and

Meredith Patterson Meredith Ann Patterson (born November 24, 1975) is an American musical theatre and television actress. She is best known for her Broadway performances such as Peggy Sawyer in 2001 Revival of "42nd Street", '' The Boy Friend'' and '' White Chris ...

, directed by Ashford. The adaptation had its world premiere on 22 September 2012 at

Curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...

. Directed by Rob Ashford, it starred

as J.M Barrie and West End actress Rosalie Craig as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. On 4 September 2013, it was announced that producer Harvey Weinstein had hired

Barry Weissler Barry & Fran Weissler are Tony Award-winning, (for revivals) American theatrical producers. Career Barry Weissler (born 1939), a Rutgers Law School drop-out, and Fran Weissler (born 1928) a New York University drama major, met in 1964 during ...

as executive producer. They planned on opening a revised version of the musical at the American Repertory Theater (ART),

in 2014. The revised musical had a new creative team, with Diane Paulus as director, a new book by James Graham, and 22 songs by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, with a few songs from the original composers. A private reading was held in September 2013 with Brian d’Arcy James as Barrie and

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' ...

as the "nagging theater producer". On 27 February 2014, a further developmental workshop was announced for March with Matthew Morrison as Barrie.

Productions

The revised production ran at the ART from 23 July 2014 to 28 September 2014, with songs by six-time Ivor Novello Award winner Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, the book by James Graham and choreography by Mia Michaels; ART artistic director Diane Paulus is the director. The full cast and creative team was announced on 2 June 2014, with Jeremy Jordan as Barrie and Laura Michelle Kelly as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies featured. The cast also includes Michael McGrath as Charles Frohman,

Carolee Carmello Carolee Ann Carmello (born September 1, 1962) is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series ''Remember WENN'' (1996–1998). She is a three-time ...

as Madame du Maurier, Jeanna de Waal as Mary Barrie, Aidan Gemme as Peter, Alex Dreier as Michael, Sawyer Nunes as George and Hayden Signoretti as Jack. Roger Bart who was originally announced for the character of Charles Frohman was replaced by Michael McGrath. Jennifer Hudson debuted the song "Neverland", from the musical, at the

68th Tony Awards The 68th Annual Tony Awards were held June 8, 2014, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2013–14 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and was televised live on CBS.Gans, Andrew"68th Ann ...

on 8 June 2014. The ART production directed by Diane Paulus moved to Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in March 2015. On 10 November 2014, it was announced that Matthew Morrison would take Jordan's place in the portrayal of J. M. Barrie in the Broadway production.

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

starred as Charles Frohman and Laura Michelle Kelly reprised the role of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. Previews began 15 March 2015, with the official opening on 15 April. The production did not receive any

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nominations. The Broadway production closed on 21 August 2016 after 565 performances.Gans, Andrew; Hetrick, Adam
" 'Finding Neverland' Ends Broadway Run Today"
Playbill, 21 August 2016 In 2017, as an offshoot of investigations into and reporting about Weinstein's many sexual abuse allegations, several news sources also reported that a significant amount of money that Weinstein ostensibly raised for the

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

charity amfAR was instead allegedly funneled into the American Repertory Theater and the production budget for ''Finding Neverland''. In early 2016 it was announced that ''Finding Neverland'' would open in London in 2017, starring

Alfie Boe Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English tenor and actor, notably performing in musical theatre. He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in Lo ...

as J.M. Barrie. The rest of the cast has not been announced. On 15 May 2016, Gary Barlow performed the song "Something About This Night" from the musical for the Queen's 90th birthday celebration, hosted by Ant & Dec. Guest starring was

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalist ...

. The US national tour began in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

on 7 October 2016, prior to the official opening on 11 October. The tour was directed by Diane Paulus and featured Kevin Kern as J.M. Barrie, Christine Dwyer as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, Tom Hewitt as Frohman/Hook, Crystal Kellogg, Joanna Glushak, Jordan Cole, Finn Faulconer, Tyler Patrick Hennessy, Ben Krieger, Eli Tokash and Mitchell Wray.

Characters

* J. M. Barrie: The creator of

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

, a Scottish playwright who still has a child inside of him. * Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: a widow with four children whose family inspires Barrie to write ''

''. * Mary Barrie: James' unhappy wife. * Mrs. du Maurier: Sylvia's strict mother who despises Barrie. * Charles Frohman: Barrie's friend and the director/producer of the Acting Company that Barrie writes for. * Captain James Hook: The classic villain from ''Peter Pan'', comes to Barrie in a vision to convince him to add a villain to his show. Played by the same actor as Frohman. * Peter Llewelyn Davies: One of Sylvia's sons. Loves reading and develops a strong relationship with Barrie. * Michael Llewelyn Davies: One of Sylvia's sons. * Jack Llewelyn Davies: One of Sylvia's sons. * George Llewelyn Davies: One of Sylvia's sons. * Lord Canaan: A wealthy and pompous man who Frohman tries to get as a fellow producer for the play, ends up with Mary. * Mr. Cromer: A grumpy yet lovable member of the acting troupe. Plays Michael in ''Peter Pan''. * Mr. Henshaw: A vain yet friendly member of the acting troupe. Plays Nana in ''Peter Pan''. * Elliott: Frohman's eager assistant. * Miss Basset: A member of the acting troupe. Plays Nibs in ''Peter Pan''. * Miss Jones: A member of the acting troupe. Plays Tootles in ''Peter Pan''. * Mr. Turpin: A member of the acting troupe. Plays Captain Hook in ''Peter Pan''. * Peter Pan: The titular character of the play, takes Sylvia to Neverland towards the end of the show. * Wendy (Acting Troupe): The eldest Darling child in the show within a show. * Albert: Mary's butler. * Emily: Mary's head maid. * Porthos: Barrie's dog. * The Acting Troupe, Servants, Londoners, Pirates, Indians, Lost Boys

Casts

''Note: Below are the principal casts of all professional major productions.'' some roles are portrayed by the same actors.

Notes

* In the Leicester production, Lord Cannan was called Lord Griffin and Charles Blount was called Maximilian Blunt. Cut characters include

PG Wodehouse PG or P.G. may refer to: *Parental Guidance (PG), a content rating in motion picture content rating systems and television content rating systems *Paying Guest (PG), also called homestay, a type of accommodation Businesses and organisations * ...

(Norman Bowman), Mermaid (Ashley Hale), Scheherazade (Frankie Jenna), Mother (Julia Jupp),

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

(Martin Ledwith), Sally (Zoe Rainey), GK Chesterton (Gary Watson), Jerome K. Jerome (Stephen Webb), and David (James Scudamore).

Notable Broadway replacements

* Charles Frohman/Captain Hook:

Anthony Warlow Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980. ...

, Terrence Mann,

, Marc Kudisch * J.M. Barrie: Tony Yazbeck,

* Mrs. du Maurier: Sandy Duncan, Sally Ann Triplett

Musical numbers

Cambridge

; Act I * "Anywhere But Here" – J. M. Barrie * "Better" – Charles Frohman, J. M. Barrie and the Acting Troupe * "Rearranging the Furniture" – Mary Barrie * "Believe" – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, Boys and Ensemble * "All That Matters" – Sylvia and Mrs. du Maurier * "We Own the Night (The Dinner Party)" – Mary, Mrs. du Maurier, Lord Cannan, Frohman, Sylvia, J. M. Barrie, Boys, Ensemble * "Sylvia's Lullaby" – Sylvia * "Neverland" – J. M. Barrie * "Circus of Your Mind" – Frohman, Mary, Mrs. du Maurier and Ensemble * "Hook" – James Hook, Barrie, Pirates * "Stronger" – J. M. Barrie, James Hook, Pirates, and Ensemble ; Act II * "The World is Upside Down" – J. M. Barrie, Frohman and the Acting Troupe * "Play" – Frohman, Sylvia and the Acting Troupe * "What You Mean to Me" – J. M. Barrie and Sylvia * "We're All Made of Stars" – the Llewelyn Davies Boys * "When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground" – J. M. Barrie and Peter * "Something About This Night" – Mr. Cromer, Miss Potter, Mr. Turpin, Elliot, Frohman, JM Barrie, Peter, Ensemble * "Neverland" (Reprise) – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia, Mrs. du Maurier, Boys and the Acting Troupe * "Finale (All That Matters)" – Mrs. du Maurier, J. M. Barrie, Boys, Company

Broadway

; Act I * "If the World Turned Upside Down" – J. M. Barrie * "All of London is Here Tonight" – Frohman, J. M. Barrie, Mary and Company * "The Pirates of Kensington" – George, Jack, Michael and Peter * "Believe" – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, Boys and Ensemble * "The Dinner Party" – Mary, Mrs. Du Maurier, Lord Cannan, Frohman, Barrie, Sylvia, Boys and Servants * "We Own the Night" – Peter, Barrie, Sylvia, Boys, Ensemble * "All That Matters" – Sylvia * "The Pirates of Kensington" (Reprise) – George, Peter, Jack and Michael * "Sylvia's Lullaby" – Sylvia Llewelyn Davies * "Neverland" – J. M. Barrie and Sylvia * "Circus of Your Mind" – Frohman, Mary, Mrs. du Maurier and Ensemble * "Live by the Hook" – James Hook, Barrie and Pirates * "Stronger" – J. M. Barrie, James Hook, Pirates and Ensemble ; Act II * "The World is Upside Down" – J. M. Barrie, Frohman and the Acting Troupe * "What You Mean to Me" – J. M. Barrie and Sylvia * "Play" – Frohman, Sylvia, Cromer, Henshaw, Miss Bassett, Turpin, Miss Jones, Elliott, Barrie, and the Acting Troupe * "We're All Made of Stars" – the Llewelyn Davies Boys * "When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground" – J. M. Barrie and Peter * "Something About This Night" – Frohman, Elliott, the Acting Troupe, J. M. Barrie and Peter * "Neverland" (Reprise) – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia, Mrs. du Maurier, Boys and the Acting Troupe * "Finale (When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground)" – Mrs. du Maurier, J. M. Barrie and Ensemble

National Tour

Act I * "Welcome to London" - Barrie, Ensemble * "My Imagination" - J.M. Barrie * "Believe" – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, Boys and Ensemble * "The Dinner Party" – Mary, Mrs. Du Maurier, Lord Cannan, Frohman, Barrie, Sylvia, Boys and Servants * "We Own the Night" – Mary, Mrs. du Maurier, Lord Cannan, Frohman, Sylvia, Barrie, Boys and Servants * "All That Matters" – Sylvia * "We Own the Night" (Reprise) – George, Peter, Jack and Michael * "Sylvia's Lullaby" – Sylvia Llewelyn Davies * "Neverland" – J. M. Barrie and Sylvia * "Circus of Your Mind" (Part 1) - Charles Frohman * "Circus of Your Mind" (Part 2) - Mary Barrie * "Circus of Your Mind" (Part 3) - Mrs. du Maurier * "Circus of Your Mind" (Part 4) – Frohman, Mary, Mrs. du Maurier and Ensemble * "Stronger" (Part 1) – J. M. Barrie, James Hook and Ensemble * "Live by the Hook" – James Hook, Barrie, Pirates and Ensemble * "Stronger" (Part 2) – J. M. Barrie, James Hook, Pirates and Ensemble Act II * "The World is Upside Down" – J. M. Barrie, Frohman and the Acting Troupe * "What You Mean to Me" – J. M. Barrie and Sylvia * "Play" – Frohman, Sylvia, Cromer, Henshaw, Barrie, and the Acting Troupe * "We're All Made of Stars" – the Llewelyn Davies Boys * "When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground" – J. M. Barrie and Peter * "Something About This Night" (Part 1) – Frohman, the Acting Troupe, J. M. Barrie and Peter * "Something About This Night" (Part 2) – Frohman, the Acting Troupe, J. M. Barrie and Peter * "Neverland" (Reprise) – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia, Mrs. du Maurier, Boys and the Acting Troupe * "Finale (Believe)" – Mrs. du Maurier, J. M. Barrie, Boys, and Ensemble

Recordings

On 9 June 2015 ''Finding Neverland The Album (Songs From The Broadway Musical)'' was released, featuring covers of the musical's songs by popular artists such as

Zendaya Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the ...

, Kiesza, Nick Jonas,

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

, Paloma Faith,

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, ''I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangem ...

, John Legend,

Christina Perri Christina Judith Perri (born August 19, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After her debut single "Jar of Hearts" was featured on the television series '' So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2010, Perri signed with Atlantic Records and relea ...

, and Goo Goo Dolls. It debuted at number 114 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the ''Billboard'' Cast Albums chart. The original Broadway cast recording of ''Finding Neverland'' was released on 23 June 2015. It debuted at number 84 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the ''Billboard'' Cast Albums chart.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

* {{Peter Pan 2012 musicals 2014 musicals Musicals based on films Musicals based on multiple works Cultural depictions of J. M. Barrie British musicals Broadway musicals Plays by James Graham Musicals set in London