Finding Neverland : Opinion

[Spil.Berg]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 4:29pm

What is the general census on Finding Neverland?

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 4:33pm

I don't think there really is one yet. Not many here saw the ART show. I saw it and thought it had tremendous potential to be a hit. Most of the songs are really good. There are some songs that really...and I mean really....need to go. But Diana Paulus is a visionary and I'm sure she will figure it out. I just wish Harvey would shut his big mouth.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 4:45pm

I also saw the show at the ART, and I agree for the most part with ShakinBaconGirl.The real issue seems to be that the production team doesn't see any massive issues with it, which there seem to be.

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 5:46pm

Snarky answer: Census? Well, there's Peter, and Tiger Lily, and the Lost Boys, and Captain Hook, Smee and the pirates, and of course Tinker Bell, so it would be around 10 or 15, depending on how many pirates there are.

Real answer: I enjoyed it, and I feel it does have some hit potential due to the name and subject matter, but I did recognize some vulnerabilities which will make for a rocky critical reception if they are not addressed. Weinstein appears to think that bigger sets and bigger stars will make up for any other shortcomings in the show, but I think we can assume that it is going to get trashed by the critics if those are the only changes they make.

It will be a different show with the new cast members. Morrison and Jordan are very different actors, and each brings their own individual strengths to the production. It's hard to say what the effect of the change will be other than it will be different. The same goes for Grammer and McGrath (who I thought was terrific). They are not at all similar, so it will be different. In short, I think it can be a long term crowd pleaser for family audiences if it can weather the initial onslaught from the critics, some of whom appear already to have their knives out.

[mikey2573]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 6:22pm

I saw it at ART and it was dreadful. Some of it was unintentionally hilarious (again, the dancing bumble bees, the dog riding a tricycle, the animated projections that looked like something from a bad 70s Saturday morning cartoon show, the mugging servants in the Barrie house, the choreography, most of the score). I did like the two leads but other than that, the whole thing was a mess. Unless they make some HUGE changes, the critics are not going to be nice. And I don't see how this show will appeal to "family audiences"; any kid brought to this show would be climbing the theater walls to get out, or else snoozing in their booster seat.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 6:59pm

Please keep in mind that while Aladdin was out-of-town in Toronto, the reviews weren't very good. A lot of us were concerned about how the show was going to turn out...

But luckily, the creative worked on the show every single day until opening night on Broadway to some surprisingly pretty good reviews, as well as several Best Musical nominations, and now it's one of the biggest hits on Broadway (Though some may argue that because it's Disney, they'll still make money)!

I've once heard an interview with Diane Paulus saying how she always reads the reviews so she could take somethings into account for any possible future productions. So I think with the time they have between when they closed in Boston a couple months ago, and when they begin previews in March, they'll have plenty of time to workout all the problems.

Updated On: 11/29/14 at 06:59 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 7:33pm

At this point it seems Paulus has very little control since Weinstein is pulling all the strings and saying she is a "visionary" is, well debatable. One thing is certain, Weinstein is spending a ton of dough to make sure this thing is a hit, let's all stay tuned to see if his plot works.
I also don't think comparing the journey with that of Aladdin seems off to me.


Updated On: 11/29/14 at 07:33 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 8:12pm

No one has a valid opinion on the version opening on Broadway, since we don't know what changed and there is a good deal of cast upheaval.

A lot of people have perfectly valid opinions on the ART version, but since that version isn't coming to Broadway, it doesn't much matter.

[CarlAlan610]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 8:39pm

I saw the show at the ART a few times and thought it was wonderful. Some issues in the first act, but it had a beautiful score, two amazing lead performances in Jeremy Jordan and Laura Michelle Kelly, and brilliant staging.

I am am concerned peoples hate for Harvey and how is is perceived will have a negative impact on the show. Many people on here who have not seen it seem to be wanting it to fail mostly because of how Harvey has handled the roll out and the disappointment over the casting of Morrison over Jordan.

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 8:51pm

"Many people on here who have not seen it seem to be wanting it to fail mostly because of how Harvey has handled the roll out and the disappointment over the casting of Morrison over Jordan."

If you total up everyone on here with that opinion, and all of them actually refuse to see the show, it represents about 50 seats. Hardly enough to make or break one night's performance, let alone a show.

[Spil.Berg]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 9:05pm

I am asking because this season for New Musicals sounds weak. Fun Home does not make a good season. Aladdin was the best of a bad lot, or was it really good.

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 9:11pm

Aladdin is a fun show very well done, so it's hardly a bad show.

Fun Home was an amazing show that I saw a second time last season, so I look forward to it coming to Broadway.

Whether a season is weak should be something saved until at least all of the shows are playing... not that a show not being open has ever prevented people from having opinions based on their made up projections, of course.

For all we know, a musical we're not even expecting this season could still be announced. Which again, makes it hard to handicap a season if you add shows that we may not know about to the list of shows that haven't yet started any performances...

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 9:54pm

"No one has a valid opinion on the version opening on Broadway, since we don't know what changed and there is a good deal of cast upheaval."

Haterobics, you're totally right on that, so I'll only talk about Cambridge. I'm one of the people who absolutely loved it at A.R.T. I saw the show more than once, just for love. I also know a bunch of local kids who loved it, the youngest being age six. The show has a very smooth flow and a very fast pace; I don't foresee kids snoozing, whatever else might happen (though I suppose it could be slowed down in the new version? That would be a bad mistake).

Something I haven't seen discussed, especially not by critics, is that the show is full of contradiction. The critics, both positive and negative, seemed to feel that the show's main message was the show's most *overt* message: that playfulness and imagination are valuable and are useful for treating pain and grief. Well, sure, the show says that -- and it says the opposite, and it says several other conflicting things. In terms of "what is childhood?" and "what is Neverland?" the show gives many conflicting messages. Personally I liked these contradictions -- I found them to create depth and texture.



Updated On: 11/29/14 at 09:54 PM

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 10:06pm

At this point, Harvey is just asking for bad reviews. One thing I do wish they change is *SPOILER?* The death of the mother. It just felt so sudden and it was hard to connect with it. I wish they had expanded the time of her illness.

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 10:09pm

ShakinBaconGirl, did you see the show early or late in the run? Because I noticed a difference in this issue as time went by. When I saw the show early, Sylvia seemed quite peppy until she was suddenly not; when I saw it late, she seemed to be showing hints from pretty early on.

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 10:18pm

I saw it later on and I still thought her illness was rushed.

[rcwr]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 10:29pm

Yeah, that's fair. I wonder whether they're adjusting that.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 10:36pm

I happened to see the show at A.R.T. and was greatly disappointed on many levels. I expect the show is undergoing a massive overhaul. What's most impressive is how much publicity the show is getting. Harvey sure is using all of his weight, no pun intended.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 11:28pm

Is the Paulus' first attempt at directing something that's new and not a revival??

[Spil.Berg]

Posted: 11/29/14 at 11:29pm

Witness Uganda She also did a Cirque show if that counts.

[jACKEMBELS]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 6:45am

hated laura mitchelle kelly they really need melanie martinez

[jACKEMBELS]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 6:45am

hated laura mitchelle kelly they really need melanie martinez

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/2/14 at 9:11am

Like you need punctuation and upper case letters?

I thought Kelly was lovely, glad she is continuing on.