REVIEW: Finding Neverland

This past week, one of my mom's Facebook friends said that he had 2 tickets to the musical Finding Neverland for May 23rd. He and his wife were now unable to go, so they wanted to see if anyone was interested. My mother said that she would take them. She told me and my older sister that we could go see it.

This show was one of the shows I had doubts about. After If/Then, I wondered if this was another musical that is using big stars to get people to see it. This came across my thought process when the Tony Award Nominations came out, and this show wasn't nominated for any award. I then had to know: was this show as fantastic or is everyone seeing it for the stars?

Natalie (my older sister) and I hopped onto the train to the city and visited various sights in the city (including the Tony Awards Pop Up Shop).

Tony Awards Pop Up Shop

Following that, we arrived at the theater around 1:40pm. There was already a giant line of people (spanning about 1 and a half to 2 blocks) waiting to get into the theater. We enter the Lunt Fontanne Theater and were quickly sent to our seats, for it was 10 minutes to showtime. The lights dim, and a small green light flutters over the audience's heads. Then, someone dressed as Peter Pan begins to dance with it. Then Matthew Morrison entered the stage. The applause for him was long and loud, with people shouting his name. I hated it. I believe that applauding in the beginning is great. It showed the actors that the audience was ready for the performance. Applauding for the famous lead did nothing but destroy the illusion. However, that was not the musical's fault.

My selfie with Matthew Morrison

Overall, I thought the musical was surprisingly stunning. The music was perfect. I will get to that in a bit. The ensemble was perfect. They were the life of the show. In fact, they helped make the show what it is. I cannot remember the name of Kelsey Grammer's character, but I vividly remember the character Eliot. Eliot is a rather small character. He doesn't have a song, but he left a lasting impression on me. The actor that played him, Chris Dwan, made his Broadway Debut in this show. The set and projections... wow. They were breathtaking. I have to say, this show honestly should have been nominated for some Tony Awards. Somebody made an error there.

Onto the music, which helped take this show into the modern audience. The music was incredible. In modern shows, you have a pop influence in the music. This music was so much better than any typical pop show. The composers, Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, have never written for Broadway before. However, they have written for pop singers. Maybe that made the music more attractive though. Pop songs are usually energetic and full of life. When done well, they are tunes that people will be singing for years. That leads us to the "concept album". In 14 days, there will be a Finding Neverland album where different pop singers (from Nick Jonas to Pentatonix) reimagine the songs. This will not replace the cast album though. Now, why is this genius? One, these singers have thousands of fans. Two, the composers have composed Grammy winning songs. If those fans hear these song covers and fall in love with the music, then they will want more. They will want to know the show. That show will lead onto other shows. Soon, they will see a show live.

Finding Neverland is the perfect show for a first-timer to Broadway. It is the perfect show for children, families, theatre geeks, band geeks, anyone. This show is everything you can want in a show, though the idea seems a bit far fetched. Now to answer my question: was this show as fantastic or is everyone seeing it for the stars? I think that the second one would be truer. When I was waiting for the Broadway actors and actresses to leave the theater and so I can get my Playbill signed, everyone wanted to know where Matthew Morrison was. When he came out, everyone was cheering. Eventually, I got up to the front. However, I was then pushed back by some "Glee" fans. I cared that he did a great job and that he is a Broadway Actor, not that he was a main character on Glee. When people see a show for a star, that sells tickets. However, for how long? When the cast changes, you either had enough people to see the show for it to continue without a star, or you have to get a big enough star.

Nevertheless, the show was amazing and (if people give it the chance to thrive), it could run for years. If you need a new show to see, I would say this one. If you are still unsure, tune into the Tony Awards June 7th. The cast is performing, alongside the companies of Something Rotten!, On The 20th Centurey, On the Town, The King and I, and many others.
-Nathan Clift, 18
Trumbull High School
President of the Youth Board

Valley Shakespeare Festival's As You Like It

The Cast of As You Like It

Yesterday, May 2nd, I took my friend (and recent Youth Board member) Elena Kemper to see a free preview performance of a production of As You Like It. This production was put on by the talented actors of the Valley Shakespeare Festival, a newer non-profit who are dedicated to enhancing and presenting some of Shakespeare's greatest master pieces. Some recent productions included Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet (which I had the opportunity to be a part of).

To summarize the play, it is the classic love story of a boy who meets a girl who gets banished and she and her cousin get thrown into the woods. With disguises, love, and laughter, love stories get intertwined and (hopefully) become sorted out in the end.
Did that sound confusing at all?
If so, then you're not alone. Before I took a Shakespeare class in school, I had no clue how to read a Shakespeare play. I loved watching them, but I never understood the text. Now I do. One of the plays we studied was As You Like It. Shortly, it became one of my favorites.

What the Valley Shakespeare Festival does is that they take a condensed version of the play and perform it with a rather low budget (the plays are only about an hour long), and still continue to make these productions free. They allow multiple characters to be performed by the same actor (in Romeo and Juliet, I was Benvolio/ Nurse/ Page).

Since they don't have the Victorian Costumes or the set you might expect (but still keeping the language of the original), you might ask yourself: Did it take away from the production itself? Was the play even more confusing than it was? I'll tell you: it didn't. I was able to see the play through a new light. I often ask myself how we can "update" one of his plays in order to engage a modern audience. I stopped asking my question, because the answer was simple. Shakespeare defined what it is to be human. He wrote about our imperfections and our mistakes, our emotions and how we over exaggerate our lives. As long as you have convincing actors, the story goes a long way.

Did I like the performance? How couldn't I? With clear movements, contemporary staging and costumes, interaction with the audience, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face even if I tried! Unfortunately, their only public performance (so far) was this Saturday. However, those of you that attend a Shelton school (I believe they stated that they are going to the 4th grade classes) will be able to see this wonderful show!

The cast is as follows:
Sarah Levine as Celia
Jess Breda as Rosalind
Stephen Humes as Orlando
Kristen Kingsley as Adam/Phoebe
David J Wiena as Charles/Silvus
Adam Kezel as Oliver/Touchstone 
Matt Catalano as Duke Frederick, Duke Senior and Audrey
Tom Simonetti as Le Beau/ Jaques

They have an upcoming summer production as well. This production is... A Midsummer Night's Dream. Follow them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ValleyShakespeareFestival?fref=ts
-Nathan Clift
President of the NPT Youth Board