NEVERLAND concept album

[AceDancer09]

Posted: 11/27/14 at 5:54pm

does anyone have any info on the concept album for Finding Neverland? it was meant to have Jessie j, Jeniffer Hudson etc. but haven't heard anything much else.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 11/27/14 at 6:19pm

Rita Ora and Matthew Morrison are duetting on it based on the news the other day. I do t really understand the reasoning behind this when it'd due to open so soon. Unless there won't be a cast album at all

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/27/14 at 10:33pm

I mean I think it'd out like now. especially with Ora in the 50 Shades movie.

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 12:20am

I'm especially interested to know how different the musical arrangements will be on the concept album from the way they'll be on Broadway. Is it that the concept album will lean more towards pop and less towards musical theater? Some people already felt that the show's music was poppish anyway.

(Also curious how different the music will be on Broadway from how it was at A.R.T.)

[Junior Babcock]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 7:00am

The GMA live preview on Thanksgiving made the so-called Neverland "anthem," Stronger, nearly unrecognizable from the A.R.T. production. Plus, Morrison's intro hyping of "my new show on Broadway" signaled to me that we are in for a Weinstein Steamroller that theater enthusiasts will find off-putting. Let's have less of that.

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 10:58am

I don't understand the logic of a "concept album", especially in this case. Weinstein seems to be intentionally breaking every rule in the book as he goes along, challenging the way Broadway shows have traditionally been developed, promoted and mounted. And to top it off, he publicly dared Brantley and others to give his show a bad review, implying that the New York critics could be rendered irrelevant in the wake of the strong word of mouth he expects the show to get. You can't argue with Weinstein's track record of success in movies, but a lot of this just doesn't make sense to me.

And yes, Stronger did not come of as an "anthem" at all. It was never that great a song, but a strong performance and clever staging made it effective at A.R.T. On GMA, it sounded very weak and forgettable. And I agree that a little humility from Morrison would not be a bad thing for the show either.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 11:05am

"Weinstein seems to be intentionally breaking every rule in the book as he goes along, challenging the way Broadway shows have traditionally been developed, promoted and mounted"

How, exactly?

"he publicly dared Brantley and others to give his show a bad review, implying that the New York critics could be rendered irrelevant in the wake of the strong word of mouth he expects the show to get"

Oh come on. You are twisting words and you know it.

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 11:17am

"Ben and Mike don't mean anything in this situation, they really don't. People love the movie. People love the idea of the show. People know [songwriter] Gary Barlow's music. Diane Paulus is a great director. I think people trust me when it comes to certain kinds of entertainment — they know what our brand means. It doesn't matter what they write; it's inconsequential on a show like this."


Hollywood Reporter article

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 11:51am

That sounds like more than a dare to me. While a pan from the NYT might not mean what it used to, it does still carry some heft for the enthusiasts and New Yorkers that keep shows alive during the lean months of winter. I think he would be wise not to challenge them so openly. Those definitely sound like fighting words.

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 12:22pm

It really is a shame the way this has ended up- I was so excited when the news broke that they were making this musical, but now it seems like the politics and Weinsten-ness of it all is making a mess of things.

[ekline1]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 8:34pm

I saw the A.R.T. production back in July and there were parts I thought were strange but overall I loved it! This whole concept album sounds as good as the name: a "good concept", but I feel that if anything it will weaken the show when it begins previews. Plus J. Hudson (in my opinion) did not do the song performed at the TONYS justice, she kind of butchered it to be honest.

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 8:51pm

ekline1, this is why the concept album doesn't sound great to me: I think it's likely to have pop arrangements (like jennifer hudson's at the tonys; it wasn't her fault that they chose that arrangement). I loved the show at A.R.T. -- especially at the end of the run, when much of the early weirdness had been excised (like those bees. oh god those bees) -- and it's a SHOW, it works as a show. Okay that sounds dumb, sorry, but what I mean is, how could "Stronger" even work out of context? A good album includes the context because the songs carry the plot along, whereas an album of pop arrangements
take the songs so far out of context that they don't even sound interesting to me.

I hated the arrangements on GMA, btw.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 9:05pm

I don't understand the criticism of Matthews intoduction at GMA. He sounded excited for both himself and the rest of his team for the new project he is involved. in. He used the word "our" several times.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 9:34pm

I weirdly agree, ekline1. J-hud is a phenomenal singer, but I don't think the song should have been sung the way it was presented at the Tony Awards. When I finally saw the show, the song made me tear up. It's such a beautiful piece and Jeremy Jordan gave the perfect emotion to it. Whenever I heard that little melody throughout the show it gave me a wonderful feeling in my heart.

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 9:36pm

Me too, ShakinBaconGirl -- I loved how that melody wove through the show. So Beautiful. Show closed two months ago and I'm still walking around singing that song.

[ekline1]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 10:42pm

rcwr: I thought that one song with J.M Barrie's wife where they moved around the furniture was just... pointless. I saw it maybe 2 weeks into previews there, so they definitely changed things. I wish I was able to see the end of the run!
Also, just watched the GMA stuff, ohmigod what kind of marketing stunt is this? Make it sound weird so people come out of curiosity only to blow them away with legit magic?

ShakinBaconGirl: Literally Jeremy Jordan brought me to tears! I wish I could've just recorded the audio of the show it was gorgeous! (So is Jeremy Jordan )!

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 11:33pm

ekline1, I enjoyed "Rearranging the Furniture," though I didn't find it deep; I just liked the choreography and LOVED the skill level of the servant dancers -- Emma Pfaeffle, Melanie Moore, Mary Page Nance, Ron Todorowski, and Jonathan Ritter (JR sometimes replaced by Julius Anthony Rubio). Their dancing in that song made me laugh. But I had a song that I did find pointless: "We're All Made of Stars," done by the four boys. Not the boys' fault at all, I just found it a dull song.

The GMA promo was terrible. First, the songs were in such tiny tidbits. Wouldn't one full song have had more muscle and heart? Also, the actual melodies were different. Crossing my fingers that was a special promo decision rather than a clue that Barlow and Kennedy have changed some melodies.

[ekline1]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 11:39pm

If they changed melodies, I will cry uncontrollably in a corner.

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/28/14 at 11:42pm

I WILL JOIN YOU IN THAT CORNER.

[RW3]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 12:52am

This might be completely separate, but the four boys that played the Darling children at the ART looks like they are continuing to the Broadway production.

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 12:57am

RW3, yeah, I noticed that they were on GMA -- does that mean that they're continuing to the Broadway production? Or did you see something about it elsewhere?

[JaglinSays]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 1:18am

It's completely mindless. "Concept albums" (like Evita or Jesus Christ Superstar) are created and released before a show reaches production. It is to get the music out there and test the waters,
in advance of a staging.

In this instance, there is already a staged production and soon to be a second one. Dumb.

[amoni]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 3:07am

Elton John had an "Aida" Concept album, and if you go to Amazon, it's actually called a concept album, with an all star cast out while the show was trying out of town. Anyone bitch about that one?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 5:42am

^ Actually, they did, not that the memories stretch onto currently existing pages (BWW didn't exist at the time, for example).

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 8:51am

I'm very confused by this show.
Does it have poppy orchestrations? I just kind of assumed that it would have a more classic sound due to the time period.