‘Finding Neverland’ brings Broadway to Abilene

ABILENE,TX (KTAB/KRBC) – The critically-acclaimed Broadway musical Finding Neverland is in Abilene for one day, and one day only.

“They turn it from an empty stage into this wonderland, this Neverland, that hundreds of people are going to enjoy tonight,” said Sidney Levesque of the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council.

Finding Neverland dives into how author J.M. Barrie finds his inspiration to create the legendary character Peter Pan, and Randy Cole of Celebrity Attractions says, “It’s a beautiful musical about family, about love, about imagination, and about what you make of your surroundings. Finding inspiration whether it’s not in the best circumstances, or the circumstances you create.”​​

There’s an incredible amount of work that goes into setting up each show, both on and behind the stage.

“I just want to stress how incredible it is to get a show of this size in and out of town in one day. It takes a crew of well over 60 people just to unload the trucks, to hang the drops, and to run the show, and then to break it all down and load it up and send it on the road for the next performance,” Cole said.​​

It’s important for the Abilene community to capitalize on this opportunity because, “Not all the cities our size in America have a Broadway series that comes through, so it’s incredibly important for our community to be able to provide these Broadway shows,” Levesque said.​​

The night kicked off with a preshow party.

Those who attended had drinks, desserts and were able to enjoy live music before the musical.