Pixie dust settles on A.R.T.’s “Finding Neverland”
Jeremy Jordan heads phenomenal cast in musical about creator of “Peter Pan”
Raider Times photo / Evgenia Eliseeva
Michael McGrath and company in the opening number of “Finding Neverland” at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge through Sept. 28, 2014.
August 15, 2014
Move over Broadway! “Finding Neverland,” a musical based on the 2004 movie, made its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge on July 23, 2014. A vibrant fusion of vintage 1900s culture and the timeless power of dreams literally exploded on stage in a cloud of shimmering pixie dust.
The musical tells the story of the struggling playwright who finds his way back to success after befriending a woman and her four sons, with whom he adventures with, traveling to the jungles, visiting mermaids, fighting off pirates — all without ever leaving the boys’ back garden. It inspires him to write about the adventures of a boy who never grows up, Peter Pan.
After losing his brother, Mr. Barrie became trapped in childhood, holding on to his youth to cope. Contrarily, the young boy, Peter, after losing his father, shoves away his childhood.
Peter’s battle with fantasy forces Mr. Barrie to start facing the realities of adulthood while his playful influence allows Peter to relax back into the role of a child and together, with the power of youthful belief and imagination, they discover eternity.
The magic of Peter Pan comes alive on stage with the help of a mesmerizing set design. Fluttering fairy lights, explosions of pixie dust, swirling blankets, an animated nightmarish carousel, and cast interaction with the audience fully immerses every individual in the story.
Jeremy Jordan from Broadway’s “Newsies,” is perfect in his portrayal of J.M. Barrie and the rest of the cast is also phenomenal, each of them kindly greeting audience members and signing autographs after the show.
Seeing “Finding Neverland,” the birth of a Broadway-quality musical, debut in Cambridge, was an unforgettable experience. I left the theater hopefully searching for some pixie dust of my own so I could drift back to Neverland again.
(“Finding Neverland” at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge through Sept. 28, 2014. For information and tickets, go to http://americanrepertorytheater.org/events/show/finding-neverland)
–Aug. 15, 2014–
