I loved ''Finding Neverland'' and happily saw it a number of times. It deserved a slew of Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Matthew Morrison gave a stirring and playful portrayal of J.M. Barrie, and kudos to Laura Michelle Kelly, Kelsey Grammer, Carolee Carmello, Aidan Gemme and Sawyer Nunes. I enjoyed Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy's beautiful songs, and Diane Paulus' direction, especially of Sylvia's departure, was magic.
''Neverland's'' problem wasn't onstage, but off: Harvey Weinstein. He unnecessarily antagonized the press by saying he didn't need the critics or columnists, like Michael Riedel, who were then rooting for the show to flop and humble him. Later, Weinstein said he regretted hurting his show's Tony chances, but it was too late.
Oh, well. I'm glad to see that ''Finding Neverland'' is gonna tour and hope it finds more raves than Pans.
Updated On: 8/20/16 at 07:33 PM