Harvey Weinstein sets April opening for Broadway’s ‘Finding Neverland’

Following months of speculation, Harvey Weinstein is set to officially open his long-gestating musical “Finding Neverland” on Broadway in April.

The opening date for “Finding Neverland” has been scheduled for April 8 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The musical, which is based on the 2004 movie of the same name, recently had a run at the American Repertory Theater in Massachusetts with a cast that included Jeremy Jordan in the role played on screen by Johnny Depp.

No casting has been announced for the Broadway engagement. Diane Paulus, the Tony Award-winning director who staged the musical at ART, will return to stage the production in New York.

April is typically a busy month on Broadway as productions jostle for audiences and awards consideration.

“Finding Neverland” has had a somewhat complicated road to Broadway. The musical opened in London in 2012 but has been revised since then. A new creative team was put in place, including Paulus and playwright James Graham, who has reworked the book for the musical.

Weinstein, who is producing the musical, has also engaged in a media tiff with New York Post columnist Michael Riedel over the latter’s coverage of the musical.

The show follows author J.M. Barrie and his relationship with the family that would inspire him to create Peter Pan. The musical is based on the movie as well as the play “The Man Who Was Peter Pan” by Allan Knee.

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York has a bit of a shared history with the Peter Pan character. The venue has served as the home for productions of the musical “Peter Pan,” including stagings with Cathy Rigby and Sandy Duncan.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT