Upon attending last Friday's Finding Neverland performance, the primary thought that struck me was how Diane Paulus is a shoo-in for Tony nominee, at the least. The reviews that are less positive demonstrate that this isn't everyone's cup of tea, so she may or may not win.michaelJ wrote:Two more reviews, one bad, one predicting Tony Awards.
Seems to me that how one reacts to the show depends on one's appetite for flights of fantasy. As one who enjoys the genre (when it doesn't go overboard), I enjoyed it immensely. Judging from the raucous and enthusiastic audience response throughout the show, I was in the majority. A few individuals around me were talking about this being their 2nd viewing, not a bad indicator for a brand new show in its 4th week.
Paulus does a remarkable job capturing the spirit of the source material, daring to try new things in musical theatre. Hard to explain exactly how, and not all of the innovations work, but most do. Of course there is plenty of opportunity to tighten up and smooth over a few more things in the transfer to Broadway as was the case when Paulus brought Pippin to life at A.R.T.
Another very strong Tony candidate is Scott Pask for Scenic Design. Starting with the opening Tinkerbell effect and on to the layering of the sets and the way they come to life at times - seemingly simple painted leaves that are static one minute and then actually appear to move as though they were blown by the wind; a body of water that starts shimmering - these were mesmerizingly jaw-dropping. And the special effects in one of the final scenes simultaneously captures and enhances the pure magic that is occurring through the story and performance.
I'm sure there would be more Tony nominations for other cast and crew but director and scenic design were the ones that stood out in my mind. Jeremy Jordan is very good in the lead role, although I have to admit there was one song where I had to wonder since he sings a fair amount falsetto. But when it progressed to the second verse sung by one of the boys, Peter (well portrayed by Aidan Gemme), it became apparent that there really wasn't any option, given the 2-octave span of the tune, being sung as a duet between the two of them. And that turned out to be a quite a charming number. Just unfortunate that there is obvious compromise involved, but can't be helped.
I am definitely going to take advantage of Finding Neverland being 6 miles from home and see it again, although it doesn't merit seeing it, say, a few dozens of times, aka "Billy level".
For me, it's the wonderment of the presentation that will bring me back and that will wear off in time. But for right now, WOW is the name of the game.
