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.
The end result is both rousing and erratic, with bits of thrilling stage magic that are signature Diane Paulus...and dialogue that sometimes feels as if it's been focus group-sanitized to within an inch of its life...Morrison has a consistent Scottish brogue and a melancholy demeanor in a performance that's very likable...The quartet of boys playing the Llewelyn Davies children are exceptional...The melodies are pop-song good, if not likely to linger long with you...the first act closer 'Stronger,' which soars to a finish indeed so strong it left me trembling. One of the areas in which 'Finding Neverland' succeeds is in its balance between technical and non-technical wizardry. Paulus knows when to use her bag of tricks...and when to let our imaginations do the work...'Finding Neverland' is best in its scenes with surrogate father Barrie and the four boys...Alongside Morrison, I think they're the ones who deserve a lot of the credit for getting 'Finding Neverland' to fly.
British playwright James Graham's story is part Edwardian melodrama, part love story, part origin story, part valentine to invention and part send-up of the theater itself. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that each has its own tone. Sometimes Graham is deadly earnest, sometimes he's sly and often he's just trying too hard at both. 'Finding Neverland' awkwardly juggles parental death and divorce and puts them in a Disney show that Disney long ago stopped making...When the show is working on all cylinders, it's absolutely thrilling...The music and lyrics...lean on soaring pop melodies and lilting Irish folk. Some hit -- 'When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground' -- and some don't -- 'All That Matters'...A decision seems to have been made to paper over any gaps in the show's coherence by backing up a truckload of pixie dust and pumping it into the theater. It also desperately wants you to cry with a series of false endings that will have you exhausted. 'Finding Neverland' has some great performances but never finds its groove.
| 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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