72 replies to this topic

[Steffi]

JaszyR91, on 12 October 2012 - 10:48 AM, said:

Thanks! I'm going on Monday - I wouldn't mind seeing Norman, but I loved Julian's performance so it would be great to see him again!

Just to confirm, Norman is on for the matinee on Wednesday. Julian is scheduled to do all other shows next week.

[JaszyR91]

That's great! Thankyou Steffi

[JaszyR91]

I've just got back from seeing FN again.
A lot in Act 1 has been changed!!
A whole new song has been added - it takes place just after James and the boy's play and is about his feelings towards the family. I don't know the official title but the lyric 'suddenly' was repeated so I'm going to think of it as 'Suddenly'. Anyway, it showcased Julian Ovenden's voice even better than any of the other songs in the score - I had chills, the man's voice is incredible!!!
Mary is no longer a dragon - she's a crocodile instead.
The entire opening has been changed too. It now opens with the song 'opening night' and completely discards the walk-the-plank scene that previously opened the show. I missed it but I understand why the change was made. Before there was a lack of an opening number, and by seeing the Pirate ship right away kind of takes away the magic at the end of Act 1.
Several lines and jokes were different too.
Act 2 was pretty much the same except for a short reprise of 'Suddenly' sang by Sylvia.
The audience was much more subdued this evening but there was still a huge standing ovation at curtain call.
I feel a massive affection for this show and pray it transfers. Not to get too deep, but I feel a connection with the story, possibly due to not being able to grow up myself
Harvey Weinstein was in the audience, I'm assuming this was due to the changes made.
Also, Andrew Lloyd Webber's attendance attracted much interest from us Leicester folk!!
Plus - the scene where James visits Mary backstage was altered drastically. Gone were the wild flowers and Mary generally seemed more easy going. I'm not sure if this was to make us sympathise with her more or to make James's antics seem more questionable, but overall I'm not sure why it was changed??

Another thing - Sylvia's deteriorating health is now not even hinted at until Act 2, where as previously she mentions visiting the doctors during Act 1 and the boys get worried but she brushes them off.

Edited by JaszyR91, 15 October 2012 - 10:27 PM.

[Steffi]

Sounds interesting! I've already seen the show once about 2 weeks ago. Watching it again this Thursday. Looking forward to seeing all the changes.

I would love the show to transfer however if it does it would get quite a huge recast I guess. Several cast members either have other commitments already or are simply not interested to stay with the show in case it does transfer.

[JaszyR91]

It's a shame that the current cast won't be able to stay with the show as they're stunning!
Why are some not interested? have they just had better offers?

Also, a quick look at FN's official twitter confirms that the new song is indeed called 'Suddenly'

[Steffi]

Some of the ensemble parts have been downsized a lot during the run (and the ongoing changes to the show) which makes it less interesting for some of the performers to stay on.

I agree that this cast is fantastic. Would love to see all of them transfer with the show.

[JaszyR91]

Hmm, I can understand the dissapointment for performers when they discover their material has been cut, but saying that the whole ensemble was fantastic in the big production numbers.
Although the female ensemble don't feature much which is a shame.
Any new news on whether a tranfer is any closer to happening?

[Dawnstar]

JaszyR91, on 15 October 2012 - 09:51 PM, said:

The entire opening has been changed too. It now opens with the song 'opening night' and completely discards the walk-the-plank scene that previously opened the show. I missed it but I understand why the change was made. Before there was a lack of an opening number, and by seeing the Pirate ship right away kind of takes away the magic at the end of Act 1.

It also makes sense in that if Barrie was inspired to write a piratical story by his playing make-belive games with the boys then he shouldn't be dreaming about the pirates before he meets the boys. Having said that I'm rather sorry it's cut fomr an entertainment point of view as i enjoyed the scene.

I'm nipping up to Leicester tomorrow to catch Norman Bowman as Barrie so I'll be very interested to see how the changes work, given that when I first saw the show 10 days ago I felt that changes were needed.

[JaszyR91]

Saw the final show at Curve tonight.
Zoe Rainey was on for Sylvia and I saw a different set of boys than the other times I've been.
The boys were fantastic and, once again, completely held their own against the adult cast.
It was nice to see Zoe, she's not as strong vocally as Rosalie but she acted the part well and put her own mark on the role.
The lady behind me was blubbing very loudly by the end and again there was a standing ovation.
Listening to the audiences comments as we left it seems thatthe show has gone down really well here and while I agree to some extent that it's rather on the dark side of 'Family Show' - during the interval a little girl behind me had to ask her mum to explain a bit - I do think it appeals to a broad range of people and there were people of all ages who enjoyed it.

I hope to see the show in some new incarnation in the future.
The main thing I'm hoping for is a Cast Recording - I know a criticism of FN has been the lack of memorable music, but on repeated listening the melodies and turns of phrase become utterly enchanting, and when sung by a flawless cast the songs come to life magically!
I feel a real attatchment to Finding Neverland, which is funny because I've never seen the film it's based on, but something about it grabbed me and won't let go!

PS - I'm never going to be able to think of Sherlock Holmes or Arthur Conan Doyle without hearing Martin Ledwith's voice!

[next2normal]

Quietly hoping for a West End Transfer. .... Even just for Norman. Yumm!