Photograph by Carol Rosegg
The cast of "Finding Neverland"
We’ve all flown with Peter Pan—or dated him, or tried to parent him. But Finding Neverland, which opens at the Fox Theatre on December 6, introduces us to two versions of the real Peter—his creator, J.M. Barrie, and the little boy who inspired him.
Adapted from the Miramax film (which won an Academy Award) and the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan, the musical is at once a love story, a psychological study, and a romp through the world of the imagination. Barrie’s character is fey and endearing; the woman he falls in love with stands in for the audience as he reawakens her playfulness; the kids are adorable; the dog’s adorable… If you don’t count Captain Hook, one of the only unsympathetic characters is Mary Barrie, the neglected, snobbish, frankly bitchy wife. That’s the part St. Louis-born actress Crystal Kellogg gets to play, first on Broadway and now on the show’s national tour.
Have you developed some insight into Mary Barrie?
In rehearsal, the director had everyone do character presentations and answer certain questions, and it really made me understand Mary a little bit more. She really wants to fit in. She and J.M. Barrie met when she acted in one of his plays, and then they got married. She feels like she fits into this higher society and just really wants the two of them to be a part of that. And he doesn’t feel like he fits.
It also couldn’t have helped that, according to Mary, their marriage was never consummated.
Yeah. They didn’t have the closest relationship. You don’t get to see the beginnings of their marriage, but in the show it’s very apparent that they are not seeing eye-to-eye. She’s very determined and very driven, but she cares very much what people think of her. And J.M. Barrie doesn’t really care about that at all.
Which one of them is more like you, in real life?
Whoa. I think there are elements of both! I tend to be very carefree, and I love to play, and I love to create. But at the same time, I’m very driven. I’ve always had these high goals and dreams that I kind of chase after until I get them.
What are they at the moment?
I made my Broadway debut about a year ago [in School of Rock]. That was a huge one. Next I’d love to be a principal on Broadway.
When did you realize you wanted to act?
When I saw my older sisters in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I remember thinking, “That looks awesome. I want to do that!” And I’m the only one of us who pursued it.
You were born here—in what neighborhood?
We lived in East St. Louis. It was a two-story house, and I remember birthday parties, and playing out in the yard a lot. My best friend lived a couple houses down the street from me. We moved to Iowa when I was 7, but whenever I’m back in St. Louis, it just feels very familiar to me. It still feels like home.
The show’s about imagination—how does that tie to your life?
When you look at kids and how their imagination just runs wild and free… I have a 3-year-old niece—she’ll play by herself, and all of a sudden she’s got this entire world mapped out around her. It reminds me of how we were all there at one point, and how easy it is to just pop back.
Why does adult life tug us away from that mode?
There’s something about a sense of responsibility—as we grow up, we get more and more responsibilities, and that can cloud that creative part of our minds. You have to remind yourself, “Oh, right, I don’t have to think about work right now.” It takes practice.
The Peter Pan types who refuse to grow up—have you known any?
I’m sure I could think of somebody! Everybody has their own life, really. I don’t know if I have the right to judge that. I kind of envy it a little bit, if I’m really honest. I tend to think that people who are that way are probably happier.
Finding Neverland first succeeded as a play and as a film. What makes it work as a musical?
There are all styles of music in the show—I love that they put some lighthearted music into it, but they also have some incredibly beautiful ballads—and music engages people’s emotions. In Finding Neverland, in particular, the music helps drive the show forward.
Did you love Peter Pan as a kid?
I never saw the stage version. I did watch the movie, and I feel like I read the book. I remember liking Neverland, and how fantastical it was, with the mermaids and Indians and lost boys.
How does the show affect audiences?
We have people come to the stage door and you can see how it’s affected them. They just tell us how beautiful the show is and how much it touched them. And then we have some amazing fans called Neverlanders—they’d come from all over the country to see the show on Broadway. There’s a quote in the show, “When you believe, you can fly.” I think that really inspires people.
Hate to admit this, but my favorite character was always Nana. Any comedy to the canine rehearsals?
Sammy and Bailey, his understudy, are both rescue dogs, and we have a Broadway trainer who, the things he gets them to do, that’s part of the magic, too. But everyone in the show essentially becomes a dog trainer, because there are so many little things the audience wouldn’t notice that we use as commands to get him to walk forward or back up or sit or jump up.
What’s your favorite trick?
I can’t tell you, because it’s the best thing in the show. It’s hilarious.
Finding Neverland runs December 6–18, with performances Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m., and Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m., plus a performance on Sunday, December 11, at 6:30 p.m. and a matinee on Thursday, December 15, at 1 p.m. For more information, go to fabulousfox.com.
The cast is led by Kevin Kern (Bridges of Madison County, Wicked) and Christine Dwyer (Wicked, Rent).
