Matthew Morrison, Talented Tykes Help 'Finding Neverland' Get Off the Ground
7 / 10
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.

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