Finding Neverland

Finding Neverland
National Tour
Lincoln Center
Fort Collins, CO 
November 8-10, 2018

The film Finding Neverland was a critical and commercial success. Since the trend on Broadway today is to make musicals from movies, it was no surprise this also became a musical.

The story followed author JM Barrie as he created the play Peter Pan. The treat for audiences was spotting the everyday events which created the characters and events of this well-loved story.

JM was a likeable character in a miserable existence. The situation was a cliché one – married to a woman who doesn’t even try to understand him. One wonders how these two people could have ever gotten together. His character was a bit on the bland side while his wife was materialistic and critical.
The chance in the story came when Sylvia entered with her four sons. Sylvia was a bit on the quirky side, but not enough to be believable. Her boys were mostly personality traits, not fully fleshed out characters.

The music was enjoyable if not memorable. The greatest musical moment came just before intermission when JM sang “Stronger” inspired by Captain Hook.

The story was another cliché – Sylvia was a woman who was so emotionally strong and yet physically weak. And though the audience could easily see her fate coming her death was ultimately magical.

While there is nothing new or spectacular about Finding Neverland, it was an enjoyable show to watch.