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FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announced)

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#1

FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announced)

Posted: 1/16/08 at 1:18pm

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114295.html

WOW! A superb choice for the project, I think!
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
#3

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 1:31pm

This makes me sooooooo excited!
PLEASE! Do not post anything negative or dramatic! DidYouReallyHearMe has LOST the ability to ignore such posts and he will comment! Please, help him.


With Clay Aiken in Spamalot, all of Broadway is singing a collective "There! Right! There!" -Me-

"Not Barker, Todd is the only person I've ever known who could imitate Katherine Hepburn...in print." -nmartin-
#5

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 2:54pm

Very nice.

If I had one wish for this project, it would be that the musical be less overtly manipulative and more original than the film. I don't know if it'll happen, or even if it could happen, but I'm gonna' hope.
"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum
#9

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:07pm

^Eh?

I thought that the movie was very good, especially Johnny Depp's performance.

SPOILERS!





My only problem with it is that the story of J.M. Barrie was changed in many places, which wouldn't be a problem normally, but it was changed to make the story an obvious tearjerker. The most irritating of these changes (to me) was to let Sylvia (Kate Winslet) die at the end of the film, providing an easy emotional reaction, when, in real life, she lived for six more years after PETER PAN premiered.

I have no problems with the film being an optimistic portrayal of J.M. Barrie (at times, it feels as if the entire movie is portrayed in the world Barrie would have liked to live in), but just make it a little more original, and change some of the obvious "tear-up" buttons.
"Y'know, I think Bertolt Brecht was rolling in his grave."
-Nellie McKay on the 2006 Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera, in which she played Polly Peachum
#10

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:16pm

Several historical innacuracies in the film. The most overt is that there were FIVE children, not four; the timing of Sylvia's death; the timing of Arthur's death; Michael being Barrie's 'favorite' - not Peter; etc.

However, I think Knee got the spirit right. He told their story in a very imaginative way (which Barrie would have loved), and sparked mainstream interest again in Pan.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
#11

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:22pm

Either way, the woman dies and either way, Barrie would've been there to comfort the children, so I don't see a problem with changing the timeline.

The last 10 minutes or so (Kate seeing the play, funeral, bench scene) tear me up every freakin' time.

It's one of my favorite movies and I can't wait for this! Here's hoping it previews on the West Coast!
"Writing is like prostitution. First, you do it for love, then you do it for a few friends, and finally you do it for money." ~ Moliere
#12

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 3:32pm

The film was largely fiction. Just the broadest of brushstrokes were true and the tale hardly had a happy ending.

There have been several books written on J.M. Barrie, and he sounds at best like a peculiar person and at worst like a child molester. At least one of those boys died a suicide, another drowned as a young man and another died in WWI. The surviving ones wouldn't talk about Barrie or Peter Pan.

Barrie looked nothing like Johnny Depp and more like a gnomish Danny De Vito which sounds like an overstatement, but find the book "J M Barrie and the Lost Boys" published 20-25 years back. There are photos as well as text.

The whole story is just creepy.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable." --Carrie Fisher
#16

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 4:42pm

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

J. M. Barrie folks.

And I just remembered that the only oscar win for this was for Score.
PLEASE! Do not post anything negative or dramatic! DidYouReallyHearMe has LOST the ability to ignore such posts and he will comment! Please, help him.


With Clay Aiken in Spamalot, all of Broadway is singing a collective "There! Right! There!" -Me-

"Not Barker, Todd is the only person I've ever known who could imitate Katherine Hepburn...in print." -nmartin-
#17

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 5:21pm

WOSQ,

The biography was reprinted in an updated edition for the 100th anniversary of Pan.

And I wouldn't go as far as saying a LARGE amount. A LARGE amount of details, yes, and a few major plot points - but the story generally remains the same. I see no harm with what they did with the film.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
#18

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/16/08 at 5:58pm

God I hope this doesn't suck.
I adored the movie, historical inaccuracies aside, it got the Peter Pan spirit right and thus rocked.
I didn't love Grey Gardens, and would like maybe someone known for a more "heart on sleeve emotional" composing, like a Stephen Schwartz or somebody, but I'll cross my fingers.
#22

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/17/08 at 1:02am

"You'd rather see Schwartz adapt this than Frankel & Korie? Wow."

The condescending tone is not called for.
But yes. It's a free world and we're all entitled to our own opinions. Have F&K done anything else? GG is nice, but the music, for me, is nothing memorable. I'd rather listen to "Wicked" or "Rags" over that most days. I'm sure you thinks that makes me have bad taste-- but for me, it's the reverse.
And, someone with a more schmaltzy/blockbuster tone/track record would be better for this. If this were a musical about J.M. Barrie's actual life, they'd be more appropriate, imo.
#24

re: FINDING NEVERLAND: The Musical Back on the Radar (Musical Team Announce

Posted: 1/17/08 at 1:07am

The movie is FAR from schmaltzy or blockbuster. If you want an bio-musical about Barrie from Schwartz, please don't use "The Man Who Was Peter Pan" or "Finding Neverland" as the sourse material. Schmaltzy is nice, but hardy the flavor I would like in a bio-musical. Real people, real emotion.
PLEASE! Do not post anything negative or dramatic! DidYouReallyHearMe has LOST the ability to ignore such posts and he will comment! Please, help him.


With Clay Aiken in Spamalot, all of Broadway is singing a collective "There! Right! There!" -Me-

"Not Barker, Todd is the only person I've ever known who could imitate Katherine Hepburn...in print." -nmartin-

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