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Overview
Synopsis
It’s 1904, and successful London playwright J.M. Barrie has a serious case of writer’s block. While he is working on a new play, he recognizes that there is nothing original about it and the characters and plot are simply recycled from plays he’s already written. Despondent at the potential end of his career, Barrie meets a lovely and caring widow, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, and her four sons (George, Peter, Jack, and Michael) in Kensington Park. They embark on adventures of imagination together - all except Peter, unwilling to play and still reeling from his father’s death. As Barrie helps Peter learn to play again, his writer’s block gives way to a new art form: children’s theatre. But the adults are skeptical and unsupportive: Who will pay to see a play about children? Who will play these characters? And how will they make Peter Pan fly? Finding Neverland is based on the true events that led J.M. Barrie to create Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, and sings to the child in all of our hearts.
Show Information
- Book
- James Graham
- Music
- Gary Barlow , Eliot Kennedy
- Lyrics
- Gary Barlow , Eliot Kennedy
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Finding Neverland (film)
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2012
- Genres
- Drama, Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Period, Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings, Spectacle
- Time & Place
- London, early 1900s
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Ideal For
- Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Child, Young Adult, Early Teen, Late Teen Characters, Large Cast
Context
Finding Neverland, which premiered on Broadway in 2015, had a long path from conception to production. In 1998, Allan Knee’s play The Man Who Was Peter Pan chronicled the relationship of J. M. Barrie and his connection to the Llewelyn Davies family - a relationship that would inspire the playwright to create his most lasting character, Peter Pan. While Knee’s play did not have widespread attention, it did catch the attention of Hollywood and screenwriter David Magee. In 2004, _Finding
to read the context for Finding Neverland and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
The curtain is closed, and suddenly a little light appears, dancing playfully. When the curtain opens, Peter Pan chases this light - it’s Tinkerbell. Together, the boy who never grew up and his fairy dance around playwright James (J.M.) Barrie, welcoming the audience to a story within a story, and explaining how much his life changed within one year (“If the World Turned Upside Down”). Suddenly, the scene transitions into a party for opening night of Barrie’s new play The Wedding
to read the plot for Finding Neverland and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
|
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Female |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
|
Songs
Act I
"If the World Turned Upside Down" – J. M. Barrie
*"All of London Is Here Tonight" – Frohman, J. M. Barrie, Mary, and Company
"The Pirates of Kensington" – George, Jack, Michael, and Peter
*"Believe" – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, Boys, and Ensemble
"The Dinner Party" – Mary, Mrs. Du Maurier, Lord Cannan, Frohman, Barrie, Sylvia, Boys, and Servants
*"We Own the Night" – Mary, Mrs. du Maurier, Lord Cannan, Frohman, Sylvia, Barrie, Boys, and Servants
"All That Matters" – Sylvia
"The Pirates of Kensington" (Reprise) – George, Peter, Jack, and Michael
"Sylvia's Lullaby" – Sylvia Llewelyn Davies
"Neverland" – J. M. Barrie and Sylvia
*"Circus of Your Mind" – Frohman, Mary, Mrs. du Maurier, and Ensemble
*"Live by the Hook" – James Hook, Barrie, and Pirates
*"Stronger" – J. M. Barrie, James Hook, Pirates, and Ensemble
Act II
*"The World Is Upside Down" – J. M. Barrie, Frohman, and the Acting Troupe
"What You Mean to Me" – J. M. Barrie and Sylvia
*"Play" – Frohman, Sylvia, Cromer, Henshaw, Miss Bassett, Miss Jones, Barrie, and the Acting Troupe
"We're All Made of Stars" – The Llewelyn Davies Boys
"When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground" – J. M. Barrie and Peter
*"Something About This Night" – Frohman, the Acting Troupe, J. M. Barrie, and Peter
*"Neverland" (Reprise) – J. M. Barrie, Sylvia, Mrs. du Maurier, Boys, and the Acting Troupe
"Finale (When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground)" – Mrs. du Maurier, J. M. Barrie, and Ensemble
In the National Tour, “Welcome to London” and “My Imagination” replaces “If The World Turned Upside Down” and “All of London is Here Tonight.” “Circus of Your Mind” is broken into four distinct sections, and “Live By the Hook” splits “Stronger” into two parts. In Act Two, “Something About This Night” is split into two different songs.
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Videos
Quizzes
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress