PREVIEW: The Roots of Peter Pan in Finding Neverland (Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - October 16, 2017October 16, 2017 Billy Harrigan Tighe and John Davidson in Finding Neverland. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. Peter Pan takes flight in Finding Neverland. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.If you follow Broadway musicals, you’ve probably heard the name Diane Paulus. Paulus is one of the most influential producers and directors on Broadway today. One of the founders of the Project 400 Theatre Group, she launched her career in New York City with innovative avant garde treatments of familiar works. Since becoming the artistic director of the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2008, she’s also been engaged in a rather sizable side career: preparing shows for Broadway. If the name isn’t ringing a bell, from her position at the A.R.T., Paulus has directed and produced a whole host of musicals that she sent to Broadway, including The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Pippin, Waitress, and the show coming to Minneapolis this Halloween: Finding Neverland. Never What? Finding Neverland is, in essence, a musical treatment of the origins of the novel Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. It follows Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies, a family who inspired much of his writing. Along the way, the book’s characters taking form to shape the narrative: Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and others. The score for Finding Neverland features music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy; the book is by James Graham. Barlow was the one-time lead singer of the band Take That and a judge on The Voice UK; Kennedy also wrote songs for Take That as well as songs for films such as Stepmom and The Bridge to Terabithia. Graham is less well-known in the United States, but in the U.K. (from which he, Barlow, and Kennedy all hail) is known as one of the most prolific and produced 30-something playwrights. Here’s a look at Finding Neverland: The cast of Finding Neverland. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. The story starts to take shape. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. As the story begins, characters begin to take flight… Photo by Carol Rosegg. Christine Dwyer as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in Finding Neverland. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. Sammy Porthos with Bill Berloni and Bailey the Understudy Dog from the National Tour of Finding Neverland. Photo by KSP Images. — Finding Neverland opens at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis on Oct. 31 and plays through Nov. 5. About Latest Posts Basil ConsidineBasil Considine was the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader from 2018-2022. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years, before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego. Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region and the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholar to Madagascar. Latest posts by Basil Considine (see all) DC REVIEW: Anything but Business as Normal in the American Opera Initiative (Washington National Opera) - January 22, 2024 NYC REVIEW: Spectacular Fulfillment in The Promise (PROTOTYPE FESTIVAL) - January 14, 2024 NYC REVIEW: Adoration, Myths, and Reality (PROTOTYPE FESTIVAL) - January 13, 2024 Share on Facebook Share Share on TwitterTweet