By Lindsey Kelstrom
Even for those who are not big fans of Neverland’s Peter Pan, the musical Finding Neverland is an experience not to be missed, by believers and non-believers alike. Finding Neverland is the first of three National Touring Broadway shows to come to the Ellen Eccles Theatre this season through CacheArts. The level of professionalism and quality brought to the stage are the very things that enhance theatre experiences in the valley and deserve to be supported by the communities they come to.
The musical is inspired by the film adaptation starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet and tells the story of Peter Pan’s creator, J.M. Barrie (Jeff Sullivan). Barrie develops a friendship with widow Sylvia Davies (Ruby Gibbs) and her four young sons, who give him inspiration and ideas he then incorporates into the play he begins to write about boys who do not grow up. It is a beautiful story about seeing through the woes and hardships of life by embracing the magic of Neverland.
The visual effects alone transport the audience to a magical setting amid the stuffy aristocracy of early 20th century London, England. A fantastic technical team of scenic design by Scott Pask, lighting by Kenneth Posner, Jon Driscoll as projection designer, Daniel Wurtzel as air sculptor, and illusions by Paul Kieve bring to life the ethereal sense of flight, being on board a ship with pirates, and, yes, the small flicker of light called Tinkerbell. Add succinct choreography from Mia Michaels and stage direction from director Diane Paulus with recreations by Mia Walker, and voilà, the audience finds themselves effortlessly moving from scenes of reality to imagined storylines that take you through the creative process of the author of the beloved classic, Peter Pan.
Jeff Sullivan and Seth Erdley in Finding Neverland
The story is further given a beautiful voice through a variety of musical numbers that evoke emotion and connection with characters, developed by music director Patrick Hoagland and vocal designer AnneMaire Milazzo. One number I personally connected with as a mother was “All That Matters” sung by Gibbs so beautifully, as a widow of four boys strengthening her resolve to be there for her children and to be happy. It’s these basic human desires that run throughout the course of the production that draw the audience in because they are so identifiable and indelible. There are also up-tempo, rousing numbers that, although perhaps not quite true to the style of the time period in which the show is set, create a buzz of excitement and energy. This excitement surges through numbers like “Circus of Your Mind” and “Stronger,” where the pirate villain Captain Hook, played by Conor McGiffin, who also doubles as the show’s producer (who happens to carry around a hooked cane),comes to life.
Ruby Gibbs and Jeff Sullivan in Finding Neverland
Breathing believability into the realistic aspect of this story are the fatherless children, the Davies brothers who inspire the creation of the Darling brothers and the lost boys, Ethan Stokes as George, Paul Schoeller as Peter, Caleb Reese Paul as Jack, and Brody Bett as Michael- a darling favorite of mine, no pun intended. They encompass true boyhood. They are playful, funny, genuine, and comfortable onstage. And they rotate playing different brothers depending on the performance night, along with two other young performers Seth Erdley and Josiah Smothers. Talent flows from the ability to handle that rotation alone, but I haven’t even started talking about their singing voices. They are perfectly on pitch and sing beautiful harmonies number after number. I’ve never heard a better voice from a young man as I did tonight from Schoeller. He sings a duet with leading man Sullivan, and more than holds his own and carries powerful harmonies and emotion-impressive talent from one so young.
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The Company of Finding Neverland, Credit Jeremy Daniel
I cried, I laughed, I yearned to go home and hold my babies a little tighter and to go on adventures with them, and as the character J.M Barrie ponders, to not let them go to sleep because when they wake up they will be older. Finding Neverland is a wonderful way to let the world go a bit, to see life from a more positive and child-like perspective, and to find the magic of Neverland- facing your demons with a bit of pixie dust, laughing your troubles away through song and imagination. Take your family, laugh together, hug each other, imagine together. You will not be disappointed you went.
CacheArts Presents Finding Neverland, book by James Graham, music and lyrics by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie
Ellen Eccles Theatre 43 S Main St, Logan, UT 84321
November 29-30 7:30 PM
Tickets: $45-$65
Contact: 435-752-0026
Finding Neverland Facebook Event
Just to let you know that the majority of the music in the current Broadway touring production was written by UK songwriters Gary Barlow (solo artist and member of Take That) and Eliot Kennedy. They were brought into write a couple of songs during the early days before the show headed to Broadway. Wikipedia says 22 of the songs by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy and only a few songs left from the original composers Frankel and Korie but does not name those. Strangely the Wikipedia article does not make this clear at the beginning of the article. There are two albums that were created that are also a bit confusing with one being the original Broadway cast starring Matthew Morrison,Laura Michelle Kelly and Kelsey Grammer and the other with the songs “interpreted” by pop music artists such as Rita Ora, Jon Bon Jovi, Pentatonix and other top music artists. Some customers have bought the latter thinking they are getting the original cast which they wanted. Even though I bought both and enjoy I still prefer the original cast and the songs sung as they are in the show.