I am not entirely sure what was happening in my life in 2015 to have this production fly completely off my radar, but indeed it did. I will admit that I am not a huge Peter Pan fan. I suppose the story of not wanting to grow up doesn’t align with my childhood in any way. In fact, I was eager and ambitious to grow up and be an adult as soon as possible, to a fault I presume.

But Peter Pan is an enduring, classic story, and in this version we follow the author on an adventure of imagination. Based on the 2004 film of the same name, Finding Neverland is one of few Broadway musicals whose workshop version has a completely different composer than the final product. I understand that a few remnants of Scott Frankel’s original 2012 score remain intact, but the music is now mainly attributed to Barlow and Kennedy.

After taking a brief glance at the 2015 compilation album “Finding Neverland the Album,” I was certainly impressed, or rather, star struck by the number and variety of artists who contributed to it, so I decided to give the OBCR a try after hearing Ellie Goulding sing what is now my favorite song from the second act of the show, titled When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground.

The album begins with a few catchy enough songs, each song is bouncy, adventure themed, poppy, and somewhat forgettable. But what all this is leading to is two (2!) back-to-back Laura Michelle Kelly solos. The first, a power ballad, the second, a lullaby. Then the score starts to unfold and make a little more sense by the time the title track “Neverland” is heard. Matthew Morrison has me sold on finishing the album. The songs in the second half of the album are really exciting. Composers Barlow & Kennedy’ really capture the feeling of soaring, seeking adventure, under-the-stars, twinkle-fairytale-ness.

After Neverland, we are met with a ridiculous track Circus of your Mind. This is the first stand out track where both Kelsey Grammar and Carolee Carmello are featured. It’s a pleasure to hear Frasier Grammar on this recording as I’ve been a big fan of his since I was a small child. As well he is in very, very few cast recordings. And then Carmello, who I know most from the original run of Parade, is always a powerhouse to have.

The rest of the album is super great, and there are too many little moments of delight for me to write down. One is when Morrison is singing Stronger and Grammar is in the background having this fit of yelling that adds a call and response to the melody. It’s really cute and sound great. Here is Morrison and Grammar performing Stronger at the Tonys:

Another moment of delight would be the bit in World is Upside Down where they are trying to clarify the semantics of the word “lost.”

“Is he lost in a emotional purgatory? Or lost in an existential search for himself?

(…No he’s just lost.)

Good heavens! Where, when, and how?

(Do you have experience being lost?)

We’re experiencing it now!“

Leading us up to the end of the show, Morrison sings When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground, which is, as mentioned above, the 11oclock number in this show. It really pulls me in, as a listener, and propels me into the finale. The finale is lovely enough, and the bonus version of the song Play is a delightful!

I will admit the actors, who are just so, so, so, so strong, really carry some of the less memorable musical numbers. Grammar, Morrison, LM Kelly, and Carmello really show how much good acting adds to the overall listening experience. The four of them definitely sell the album for me.