Another bump for Finding Neverland - Page 4

[Back Row]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 9:48pm

I can't imagine it would be part the OBC recording if he's doing it in LA, but aren't they at a point now where a concept album serves little useful purpose? The timing doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[getatme]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 9:54pm

FWIW, in his Seth's Chatterbox interview, Jeremy Jordan discusses the Finding Neverland situation. He explains that he was offered the workshop before the ART run, but at the last minute they told him they were going to use Matt Morrison instead. Jeremy was okay with losing out on the project at that point. During the workshop, he got offered the ART run, at which point the trajectory of the show was going to be ART to London and then to Broadway. He and his agent tried to get Broadway included in the ART run, but they were told by producers that they could guarantee Jeremy ART and London, but not Broadway.

As we know, the plans to bring the show to London from ART were scrapped, but Jeremy DID think he had a shot at doing the role on Broadway. And from the way he talk about it in the interview, it wasn't predetermined the whole time that it was going to be Morrison, now, maybe they were just being nice giving Jordan some hope that he could do it in New York, but who really knows. Regardless, he wasn't aware going in that he absolutely would not be doing the show on Broadway.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 10:00pm

In terms of creating publicity and buzz in the run up to opening night it does make sense if they release the concept album in say March. I guess the idea is to attract people who don't ordinarily check out new broadway shows in spring.

Also Glees final season commitment was cut from 22 episodes to 13 during the summer. Had it had a full season they would have been filming until early May meaning that Morrison probably wouldn't have been able to sign on to do Finding Neverland on Broadway from March. So maybe the final desicision wasn't made until that happened?

Also they are still talking about taking the show to the west end so Jorden could still open it there when it does.

Updated On: 2/7/15 at 10:00 PM

[Natto]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 10:10pm

Does he care? Harvey does he care about people who work for him? I think if it wasn't for the actors who I want to have jobs. I would not ever see a show that he produces. I want him to understand being a jackass does not sit well for anyone in the Broadway circle

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 10:34pm

It's no t being a jackals. It's business. I'd they couldnt guarantee him Broadway, then he knew there was a chance it wouldn't happen. Period. He wasn't promised anything. He hoped it would work out, it didn't.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 10:34pm

Well goes everyone's story that Jordan knew that he wasn't doing Bway.
He just shot those stories straight to Hell.

[rcwr]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 10:49pm

getatme, thank you for the info from Seth's Chatterbox! I'm sorry to ask such a dumb question but I'm having trouble figuring this out: is the Seth's Chatterbox interview of JJ posted anywhere for public viewing? Or is it some kind of subscription or purchase thing?

[Sunny11]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 11:02pm

Morrisons avaibility might have been an additional factor though. When Glees final season was cut and he was made avaiable for the spring Broadway season the decision to sign him might have been made at that point. This was after the ART run was under way.

[Back Row]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 11:31pm

Pretty sure the decision to go after Morrison was made when they decided to have J-Hud sing the title song at the Tony's (instead of Jordan), just days after rehearsals had started. Just judging from Michael McGrath's tweet when Grammer was finally hired (with the hashtag "#trust your gut"), I get the feeling that Weinstein tried to keep both Jordan and McGrath in the dark as much as possible until he had his first choices locked into contracts. I also recall Grammer letting it slip on a talk show that he was "going to do a Broadway musical for Harvey Weinstein in the spring of '15, long before the A.R.T. run even started, so that makes it sound like the whole London story they fed Jordan was also a pile of crap. I think if it ever does go to London, there's probably a better chance of Harvey playing J.M. Barrie himself than there is of Jordan getting involved again.

[rcwr]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 11:36pm

I'm glad McGrath is getting to do On the Twentieth Century now. I don't know that show, but I find McGrath to be SO gifted.

[getatme]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 11:40pm

rcwr, You have to be subscribed to sethtv.com $5 a month to access all the new and a lot of the archived Chatterboxes.

[Back Row]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 11:43pm

I was familiar with McGrath, but had never seen him in person until Neverland. I became a big fan. I hope we see a lot more of him in seasons to come.

[rcwr]

Posted: 2/7/15 at 11:58pm

Thank you, getatme!

[Sunny11]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 12:11am

Last February the plan was west end first and then Broadway for 2015-16 season so that aspect is correct.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/matthew-morrison-to-star-in-weinsteins-finding-neverland/




Updated On: 2/8/15 at 12:11 AM

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 12:31am

All of this has more to do with Jordan's and Morrison's agents and managers than with the actors themselves. Surely their teams kept them appraised of negotiations every step of the way and none of this was a major surprise to either one of them. As for Weinstein, he never made a promise he didn't keep, which would be next to impossible when you're dealing with agents, managers and unions. The industry does not revolve around back slap and hand shake deals. Certainly Jordan must be disappointed but Broadway was never part of his deal, which he knew from the jump.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 12:57am

Jordan's new interview dosent remove the basic fact that Broadway was never in his contract. The possibly that he wouldn't go was therefore always there. No body has ever claimed that he was outrightly told upfront that he would never go to Broadway but that his contractual status and Morrison pre existing. relationship with the project should have made it a very real posibility to him even without being told so verbaly.

[CarlAlan610]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 10:44am

This is one of those Broadway stories that will talked about for a long time. Bottom line - Morrison is doing the show and I am sure he will be great. I adored Jordan at the ART, and hope he either replaces Morrison when Morrison leaves or opens the show in London. Who knows. I have my tickets for March 28 and look forward to seeing the new cast and what, if any, changes they make to the score and book

[Back Row]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 11:22am

I don't see Jordan coming back to this show under any circumstances. I suspect that he's already moved on.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 7:16pm

I can't imagine he knew only because he was essentially workshopping a big project. If you knew going into it that you weren't going ahead with it, then why would you invest all of yourself into it? It would actually hurt the process. So, of course, they kept him the dark so that he turned in a great performance, etc.

Side note: I saw Morrison walking on 42nd to rehearsals and a kid stopped him and said he sang his song from Hairspray all the time, and Morrison just kept walking. Rude.

[Back Row]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 7:41pm

I wish someone would write a musical version of this soap opera and call it something like "Finding and Losing Neverland". And I would hope that Michael McGrath ends up playing Harvey Weinstein. That would be fun to watch.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 2/8/15 at 8:56pm

"@GaryBarlow: Just finished in the studio ! Thank you @Matt_Morrison for a fine performance ! pic.twitter.com/MpOejYnHxE"

If this is Finding Neverland related, I am guessing it's a last inclusion for the concept album.

[valeposh]

Posted: 2/9/15 at 11:58am

"Side note: I saw Morrison walking on 42nd to rehearsals and a kid stopped him and said he sang his song from Hairspray all the time, and Morrison just kept walking. Rude."
I don't know if it's the same day I was walking with him, but when we were together he was super duper late to rehearsals and he was recognized by a few people, and had to rush to rehearsals. I've seen Matt stop for pictures at any moment of the day and night. Give him a break.

Updated On: 2/9/15 at 11:58 AM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/9/15 at 12:38pm

How much bigger of a draw is Matthew anyway. Yeah he has glee, but is the average tourist in NYC going to know who he is? And Jeremy Jordan has also been on television in a pretty major role(smash). It just seems weird that they would get rid of a leading actor between a shows pre-broadway and broadway run. Has this ever happened before?

[Sunny11]

Posted: 2/9/15 at 12:51pm

Matthew get an earlier reading but was unable to do the pre Broadway tryout because it clased with Glee filming. It he could have done it i think he would have.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/9/15 at 12:54pm

"And Jeremy Jordan has also been on television in a pretty major role(smash)"

In the second and final season of a show no one was watching.