Tony Yazbeck debuts in Finding Neverland tonight
Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck begins performances as J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theate tonight. He replaces Tony nominee Matthew Morrison, who played his final performance in the role on 24 January.
Director Diane Paulus previously commented:
"I'm deeply grateful that Matthew made his return to Broadway as J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland. He is a brilliant performer and has been an amazing company leader at the Lunt-Fontanne, dedicating himself to this production and to our audiences over the last year. I am thrilled that Kelsey is returning, and that Tony Yazbeck is joining the production. Tony is a 'triple threat'—he can do it all, and this makes him a perfect fit for the demands of the role of JM Barrie. I can't wait to work with him!"As previously reported, original cast member and Tony nominee Kelsey Grammer returned to the Broadway production for a limited engagement from 19 January to 26 March 2016.
The principal cast currently include Tony Yazbeck (J.M. Barrie), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sylvia Llewelyn Davis), Kelsey Grammer (Charles Frohman), Carolee Carmello (Madame du Maurier), Teal Wicks (Mary Barrie), Alex Dreier, Aidan Gemme, Jackson Demott Hill, Noah Hinsdale, Sawyer Nunes, Christopher Paul Richards, and Hayden Signoretti (The Llewelyn Davis Boys).
Finding Neverland, directed by Diane Paulus, began previews on 15 March 2015 at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, before an official opening on 15 April, and is currently booking through to 3 July 2016.
Finding Neverland features a book by Olivier Award nominee James Graham, with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Elliot Kennedy and Gary Barlow, UK songwriter and member of popgroup 'Take That.'
Synopsis: "When a playwright meets a widow and her four boys in Kensington Gardens, he embarks on a friendship that inspires one of the most beloved stories of all time. Based on the Miramax film written by David Magee, Finding Neverland follows the real-life relationship between the Llewelyn Davies family and James Matthew Barrie as he writes the revolutionary 1904 play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. This new musical explores the power of imagination to open up new worlds, and the pressures put upon those worlds by the prospect of growing up."
The creative team behind Finding Neverland features choreography by Mia Michaels, scenic design by Tony Award winner Scott Pask, lighting by Phillip S. Rosenberg, costumes by Suttirat Larlarb, and sound design by Tony nominee Jonathan Deans.
The pre-Broadway engagement of Finding Neverland, which starred Jeremy Jordan as J.M. Barrie, concluded on 28 September 2014, after 75 sold-out performances at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was the highest attended and highest grossing production in A.R.T.'s 34-year history.
Tony Yazbeck earned his Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical in 2015 for 'On The Town.' His other Broadway credits include Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas,' 'Gypsy,' 'A Chorus Line,' 'Never Gonna Dance,' 'Oklahoma!,' and 'Chicago.'
Tony YazbeckOriginally published on