The power of belief drives ‘Finding Neverland’ musical

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, April 3, 2019

: The cast of the touring company of "Finding Neverland." (Courtesy/Jeremy Daniel)

Even after performing in “Finding Neverland” countless times, the feel-good musical of how four young boys inspired J.M. Barrie to write “Peter Pan” still moves actress Emmanuelle Zeesman.

“I can honestly say that I love every moment that I get to be on stage with this show,” said Zeesman who plays Mrs. duMaurier. “Every night I look forward to being surrounded by my show family, teary eyed and exclaiming, ‘I Believe!’ In that moment, I feel like I’m giving everyone permission to believe in their dreams. … ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Finding Neverland’ are different, but they both have the same themes: We are all young at heart and there is magical wonder in the world.”

The national touring production of the Broadway hit comes to The University of Texas at Tyler Cowan Center for a performance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are available at cowancenter.org or calling the venue’s box office, 903-566-7424.

“Finding Neverland” debuted in England in 2012 and hit Broadway in 2015. The story follows playwright J.M. Barrie as he meets Sylvia, a widow and her four young sons: Jack, George, Michael and Peter. Captivated by the boys’ escapades and imaginations, Barrie takes a risk and creates the adventure-filled world of “Peter Pan.”

“‘Finding Neverland’ is not the story of ‘Peter Pan,’ rather it is the story of the creation of ‘Peter Pan,'” said Zeesman, a native of Canada who is trained in musical theater. “We follow the author, J.M. Barrie, as he meets the family that inspired the iconic characters and memorable moments of the story we love. Through moments of incredible stage magic, we discover with him, the spark of his imagination when creating people like Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, the crocodile and the flying boys.

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“We see how he used moments of his real life to create that most recognizable moment when Peter and Wendy exchange kisses using a thimble and an acorn,” she continued. “The musical brings us a behind-the-scenes view of the story we know and love.”

As Mrs. duMaurier, Sylvia’s controlling mother, Zeesman’s character goes from protecting her family from Barrie to liking him.

“I can easily tap into my personal sense of family loyalty and passion,” she said. “At the beginning of the story, J.M. Barrie is still married! He is ruining any chance my daughter has at finding love again and providing a father for my grandchildren. It isn’t until the second act when he is no longer with his wife that I start to find charm in his off-beat ways.

“The thing I love most about duMaurier is that I get to be the character that changes,” she continued. “I get to change my mind and to find common ground with a person who is completely different from me. I think that is an important message to bring across the country.”

She said that she and the children in the cast enjoy a close relationship.

“The kids call me Gamma. We’re family. We love each other,” she said. “On the third day of rehearsal, these incredible children bought me flowers for Grandparent’s Day. I was hooked!

“We have lots of Gamma cuddle time and daily dance parties backstage. Even the local stagehands sometimes join in. All of us have moments in the show where we connect and get to play with one of our boys. They are unbelievably professional and I trust them just as much as any other cast member,” she continued.

Zeesman said “Finding Neverland’s” positive message touches the audience. “Just the other day, a woman shared with me how the show helped her deal with her mother’s death and find hope again. It inspired her to keep living the life she always wanted to lead.”