Finding Neverland is Filled With Magic

It's always fun to get a peek behind the scenes. 

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

I mean, who doesn't want to feel like an in-the-know insider? With the ubiquitous ability to be a voyeur just about anywhere these days thanks to social media, is there anything we don't already know?

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

When it comes to pre-internet works, the answer is: absolutely. Finding Neverland, a lovely new show now playing at the Orpheum, tells just such a story about the origins of much-beloved Peter Pan. It's miles better than the recent movie and well worth a stop if you want to escape our early November snow.

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

Finding Neverland begins with J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, strolling in Kensington Gardens as he brainstorms plots for his newest play. He runs into a woman named Sylva and her bevy of boys, whose boisterous playtime and honest assessment of his work rigorously reinvigorates his imagination. Enchanted with the vivacity with which they approach life after the death of their father, Barrie begins to spend more and more time with Sylvia and her sons, alienating his wife Mary to the point that she leaves J.M. Barrie completely. The theater Barrie works at is in dire straights and desperately needs a new play to bring in revenue. Barrie writes the stories he tells the boys into a manifesto to childhood named Peter Pan; the company initially resists the story but changes their minds when they see the magic it contains. Sylvia contracts consumption and dies shortly after the play is released, and J.M. Barrie continues to partake in the boys' lives after their mother dies.

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

I wasn't sure what to expect from this. I watched the vaunted 2004 film of the same name but I gotta be honest: I was not very impressed, despite a terrific cast that included Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. I expected much of the same here, but I'm happy to report that the stage version is SO much better than the film. Something about the film lost all of the magic and whimsy to me. Broadway has infused that absent magic and whimsy into the stage version in spades, and this production is utterly charming. It helps that it's set to a really gorgeous soundtrack, with new-to-me songs like "All That Matters," "Neverland," "Stronger," and "When Your Feet Don't Touch The Ground" soothing my ears. The aural aesthetic is like a mashup of the soundtracks of Titanic, Once, Mary Poppins and British pub songs, and it's an appealing mix that will have you tapping your toes in time.

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

The cast is perfectly suited to their roles, beginning with Billy Harrigan Tighe as J.M. Barrie. Tighe is lithe and lustrous of body and song, and his mischievous performance captures Peter Pan's endlessly youthful spirit in spades. Lael Van Keuren is a perfect match to Tighe as Barrie's muse Sylvia. Van Keuren has a gorgeous voice that soars through the show with a warm delivery and a loving touch. Their sinuously backlit duet on "What You Mean To Me" is easily one of the best moments of the show, as is Van Keuren's glittering, balletic exeunt for Sylvia's death at the end of the show. Whoever paired these two knew what they were doing - they are the new Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers!

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

The rest of the cast is equally exciting. John Davidson is wonderful as theater owner and inspiration for Captain Hook Charles Frohman. Davidson has a gruff yet approachable demeanor that helps infuse the many sad moments with honest comedy, and he's a natural anchor of the cast. The children playing Peter, George, Jack and Michael (rotating every night) are absolutely wonderful and will impress your pants off, particularly in the gorgeous a capella performance of "We're All Made of Stars." The rest of the ensemble cast is great as well, although one quibble: the magnificent baritone of Dwelvan David never really gets the chance to shine, and as the only person of color in the cast with speaking lines, his casting as Nanna at the end of the show was particularly alarming. I'm sure it was innocently intentioned, but it's a bad look, and I truly wish they had managed to arrange it differently (he'd make a marvelous Captain Hook - let him at it, Broadway!).

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

The production team did a beautiful job of making a warm, inviting environment for this creative play, in the truest sense of the word. The choreography is deceptively elegant, adding so much to the story with just a few thoughtful gestures. There are some true dancers among the cast, and it's a pleasure to watch them pirouette through the stage. Sets alternate between vibrantly painted scrims and several lush projections. Props land the audience squarely in varied environments ranging from a decadent park to a formal dinner party to a children's performance in a back yard and are quickly whisked in and out. The costumes are straightforwardly gorgeous, featuring that early 20th century aesthetic I so enjoy and rich textures you can see even from the back of the hall. And small attention to detail, like the impressive use of shadows and negative space, or the clear influence of the resident "air sculptor" (I don't even know what that is but it's in the program and it definitely paid off), bring out the child in all of us.

Photo by Jeremy Daniels

Finding Neverland hits the full emotional spectrum and arrives at the perfect time. Things can feel so dark and dreary these days, both in the weather and society at large. The holiday season is so often completely overwrought and quickly becomes more about things and stuff and to-do lists than the reason it supposedly exists: giving thanks, appreciating your blessings, and sharing time with loved ones. If there's one message of Finding Neverland (and Peter Pan, too), it's that no matter what bad things you might face in life, there's never an excuse to live it without a little magic and gratitude. Finding Neverland is something kids can enjoy but grownups will enjoy even more, so keep that in mind when buying tickets. Stories about Peter Pan have always been of mediocre interest to me, but Finding Neverland captivated in a totally unexpected way. It was a sweet surprise, and one I'd encourage you to check out if you can. For more information or to buy tickets, click on this link.