The question of how great art gets made is the beginning of countless biopics. There’s a lingering fascination with debunking myths, getting behind the curtain, and understanding how a creative mind works. That last desire fuels the musical Finding Neverland. Based on the 1998 play The Man Who Was Peter Pan and the 2004 film Finding Neverland, this touring production of the 2015 Broadway musical does a lovely and artful job of building the inspiration that would bring J.M. Barrie to write the play Peter Pan.
Playwright Barrie (Jeff Sullivan) flounders with his latest play until he meets the widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Ruby Gibbs) and her four inventive boys. As Barrie casts off his wife’s upper crust aspiration in favor of playing make believe with the boys, he finds that his crushing writer’s block and pressure from his theatre producer (played brilliantly by Conor McGiffin—who’s also scene stealing as Barrie’s vision of Captain Hook) gives way to a new fantastical tale involving pirates, a fairy, and a boy who doesn’t want to grow up.
While this production seems to hope children will be in attendance (there’s even a meta moment that acknowledges them in the audience), this musical seems less geared towards the magic of Peter Pan and more focused on the creative psyche of a writer. There are many silly bits involving a man in a huge dog suit playing Nana and a few flights of fancy—both real and metaphorical—that may engage younger children, but most of the show’s jokes and messages are aimed at adults needing to engage their inner child. Children may get the most joy out of the show through the four Davies sons (a revolving group of young actors play the roles). The young performers execute songs and lines in a way that makes them seem less like a team of child actors and more like a band of scrappy brothers having a great time.
The boys share a great deal of natural chemistry among themselves and with Gibbs and Sullivan, respectively. Less natural is the romance that’s meant to bloom between Barrie and Sylvia. There’s a lot of discussion from other characters about the inappropriate time they spend together, but onstage, Sullivan and Gibbs don’t seem to truly produce a fiery spark. That fizzle could have to do with some odd direction of their scenes together (Mia Walker directs this touring production). While both Gibbs and Sullivan have undeniable leading man and leading lady voice and charisma, they spend a lot of their songs not looking at each other, or sharing odd moments of chatty side business while other songs are happening. The result is distracting, and leaves the characters feeling disconnected from each other.
That particular lack of romance aside, it’s very easy for audiences to fall in love with Finding Neverland and its sense of joy in creation and imaginative play. The desire to play make-believe will follow the audience well past curtain call.
Finding Neverland plays at The National Theatre through March 3, tickets $54-$204. Runtime approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes with one intermission.
