Gary Barlow to Write New Songs for FINDING NEVERLAND Musical; Diane Paulus to Direct in West End!

According to the Daily Mail, Gary Barlow (The X Factor), will write new songs for the Finding Neverland musical, which is aiming for the West End in spring 2014. This will be Barlow's first theatre project. PIPPIN's Diane Paulus is also up to direct the production.

"We love what Gary's written," producer Harvey Weinstein told the Mail. "There's one number he's written for Act 2 that's hummable right away -- it's really melodic."

Read the original report here.

Barlow has already written five songs to join the show's original numbers by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie. In its first incarnation, the show featured book by Allan Knee, but James Graham has signed on to re-write the musical for the West End. Diane Paulus, who helmed this season's PIPPIN on Broadway, is set to direct.

The creative team will congregate in London to review the changes and talk details for a Finding Neverland concept album, to be recorded in the fall for a Christmas release. The leads of the Leicester cast -- Julian Ovenden and Rosalie Craig -- are being considered for the West End transfer.

The new musical FINDING NEVERLAND premiered in Leicester on September 22, and lead producer Harvey Weinstein is looking to bring the show to Broadway in the 2013-14 season.

The Leicester cast featured Julian Ovenden as James Barrie, Rosalie Craig as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, Liz Robertson as Mrs DuMaurier, and Clare Foster as Mary Barrie.

Adapted from the much-loved Oscar-winning Miramax film, FINDING NEVERLAND, this exquisite new production was brought to the Leicester stage by celebrated Oscar and Tony Award-winner Harvey Weinstein, with direction and choreography by Olivier and Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford (Anna Christie at Donmar Warehouse), a book by Allan Knee (Little Women on Broadway), and music and lyrics by Tony Award nominees Scott Frankel and Michael Korie.

Escape to a wonderful world of enchantment with this musical tale of the life of playwright J.M. Barrie, and the inspiration behind his classic book, The Adventures of Peter Pan. With his last play a failure, James Barrie is crippled by writer's block and success seems like a far-away land. But then a chance encounter with widow Sylvia Llewellyn Davies and her four young sons sends his heart and imagination soaring, and their friendship gives birth to a magical tale that will live forever.

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