2024–2025 / Neverland Never Ends / Musical / 60 min / Book, Lyrics & Director
Synopsis
Neverland Never Ends is a prequel to Peter Pan, set during World War I.
The story follows two boys who share the same name—James Barrie, an aspiring writer living in the shadow of his successful brother, and James Hook, a poor but resilient dreamer who refuses to give up hope.
The story follows two boys who share the same name—James Barrie, an aspiring writer living in the shadow of his successful brother, and James Hook, a poor but resilient dreamer who refuses to give up hope.
Against the devastation of war, the two boys become friends and begin creating the story of Peter Pan together as a way to survive despair. As reality grows increasingly brutal, they choose to rewrite the world through imagination, constructing a fairy tale not as an escape, but as an act of resistance.
Through their shared storytelling, the musical explores how innocence, friendship, and imagination can persist—even in the darkest of circumstances.
Director’s Note
Neverland Never Ends reimagines the globally beloved tale of Peter Pan through a new lens. The project was inspired by the fact that in J. M. Barrie’s original text, Captain Hook’s full name is James Hook, prompting the question: What if Peter Pan’s creator and his greatest antagonist had once been friends?
As the writer, lyricist, and director, I sought to explore the boundary between reality and fantasy within highly limited theatrical conditions. In the initial staged reading, we employed media facades to visualize the spread of fantasy. However, for the festival production, I chose the opposite approach—emphasizing an empty stage.
Rather than presenting fantasy as something visually constructed, I wanted to invite the audience to actively imagine it themselves. By withholding spectacle, the production asks the audience to participate in creating Neverland, reinforcing the idea that imagination survives not through excess, but through collective belief.
The musical was presented at the New York Theater Festival, where it was nominated for Best Production, Best Director, Best Music, Best Choreography, and Best Singer, and received the Best Music Award.
