Jim Steinman's NEVERLAND - Near Full Workshop, 1977 @ Kennedy Centre

Neverland was a musical created by Jim Steinman between 1974 and 1976. It was based loosely off Peter Pan, as well of retaining plot details and musical numbers from The Dream Engine. It had a few workshops from 1974-1976, and this workshop from the Kennedy Centre in 1977 saw an incomplete recording. The play would evolve into a movie idea by 1979, the idea was mentioned unto 1984, but by 1991 had evolved into Bat Out Of Hell 2100. Neverland's current form is the Bat Out Of Hell musical.
Certain songs in the play would later appear elsewhere, parts of the instrumentals seen would be used in Holding Out For A Hero, the live medley by Meat Loaf used in 1981, 1982 and 1988. As well as the unreleased God Has Left The Building, used in the 2002-2003 Broadway run of Dance of the Vampires, as well as being demoed in 2001, and demoed in 2005 by Jim's assembled band also called The Dream Engine.
This recording was recorded by Jim Steinman himself. He stopped recording after the end of act one but would forget to continue the recording until 20 minutes into Act Two. I have subsidised two of the missing songs with similar recordings. Hushabye and Hear The Screams featured the same vocalists as Neverland in their original musicals, so for Hushabye I've used a recording of the 1972 Rhinegold workshop, and a 1969 recording of Hear The Screams.
Enjoy this wonderful musical and brilliant look into Steinman's genius mind. I'll be posting much more Steinman content as this stuff needs to be heard. Steinman was some man, with some mind and some wonderful creations. Enjoy this embryo-like Bat Out Of Hell musical...
A small note. This was recorded April 26th 1977, 44 years ago today.
TRACK SELECTION
ACT ONE:
00:00:00 The Historian's Introduction
PHASE I: THE FORMATION OF THE PACK [Begins at 00:15:42]
00:17:27 Let The Revels Begin
00:18:01 All Revved Up With No Place To Go
00:22:09 Instrumental #1
00:27:10 All Revved Up With No Place To Go (Reprise)
PHASE II: THE EXPEDITION [Begins at 00:28:02]
00:31:47 City Night
00:37:36 Max and Emily's Concern for Wendy
PHASE III: THE ABDUCTION
00:41:40 Midnight Serenade / Street Fighting Prayer
00:46:46 Bat Out Of Hell
PHASE IV: THE INITIATION [Begins at 00:54:52]
00:59:44 I've Been Dreaming Up A Storm Lately
01:02:12 Hot Summer Night
PHASE V: THE DECLARATION OF DEVOTION [Begins at 01:05:38]
01:05:57 Heaven Can Wait
PHASE VI: THE HUNT [Begins at 01:11:26]
01:12:03 Instrumental #2
01:16:57 Introduction To Who Needs The Young?
01:17:08 Who Needs The Young?
PHASE VII: THE MANIPULATION [Begins at 01:21:36]
01:32:52 Gods
PHASE VIII: INTERMISSION
ACT TWO:
PHASE IX: [UNKNOWN TITLE]
xx:xx:xx Dance In My Pants [Missing]
01:38:37 The Malediction (Hushabye) [Taken from the Rhinegold Workshop]
01:43:07 Kingdom Come [Taken from the Mount Holyoke Dream Engine Production]
01:48:16 The Want Ad
PHASE X: BAAL'S DELIRIUM AND VISIONS OF NEVERLAND [Begins at 01:50:49]
01:51:27 Nocturnal Pleasure
01:52:10 Wasted Youth
01:52:42 Bat Out Of Hell (Delirious Reprise)
01:53:36 Street Fighting Prayer (Delirious Reprise)
PHASE XI: THE ANNIHILATION
01:55:29 Instrumental #3
PHASE XII: BAAL AND AND WENDY ARE OLD: THE REGENERATION [Begins at 02:03:29]
02:06:32 Instrumental #4
Instrumental 1 and 2 feature music later used in many Steinman compositions, where as Instrumental 3 largely borrows from The Revolution in Music, from the Dream Engine. Instrumental 4 sounds slightly like Paradise By The Dashboard Light.
CAST
Historian - Barry Keating
Baal - Richard Dunne
Tink - Larry Dilg
Max - Baxter Harris
Emily - Johanna Albrecht
Wendy - Ellen Foley
Lost Boys - Mark Kapitan, Tim Millett, Toby Parker, Rodney Reiner, Robert Rhys
Obsidianites - Brian DeStazio, Don Swanson
THE BAND:
Keyboards - Bob Brandon
Keyboards, Vocals - Richard Kinscherf
Lead Guitar - Steven Paul Perry
Drums - Ace Holleran
Bass - Chet Cahill
Vocals - Peter Barrett
Vocals - Karla DeVito
Vocals - Liz Gallagher
THE CREW:
Book, Music and Lyrics - Jim Steinman
Director - Barry Keating
Music Director - Paul Jacobs
Choreography - Edmond Kresley
Scenery - Daniel Leigh
Costumes - Boshna Johnson
Lighting - Martin Tudor
Stage Manager - Joel Brehm
Project Producer - Steve Kimball
Musical Arrangements - Paul Jacobs, Jim Steinman
Electronic Sound - Adrian Lo
Dance Assistants - Con Errico, J. Geils, Mark Hammond, Brian Lee Patterson, Hilary Wright
THANK YOU:
Edward Paffer
Baldwin Piano
Ace Jacobs
Production Arts Lighting
Mr and Mrs. Patrick Kimball
Opera Society of Washington
Terry Hanley Audio
Jules Fisher Associates
Sounds Reasonable Inc.
District Shade Shop
New York Shakespeare Festival
Gary Shevett
Richard Hinsvark

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Absolutely incredible to hear this back. This tape is so historically important, hopefully it can be properly archived and available to future generations. Jim Steinman really was a prolific songwriter when he was young, who would have thought that some of this music would still not have official releases nearly 50 years later. I loved how he recorded it himself - a true genius!

[@madhatterster]

So from what I understand, they needed to find an audience to come and see this workshop. I think they were even approaching people on the street. I mean, fair dinkum! This is mere months before "Bat out of Hell" would be released, with three of these songs, and become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Between this and every record company in the universe turning down that album, Jim must have gotten so depressed. Then suddenly it all changes!

[@rickytutin]

Thank you so much for uploading this.

[@YAMMAS]

I have to say I love this version of "Midnight Serenade / Street Fighting Prayer" (which I previously knew as "Come With Me" from Dance of the Vampires). That singer is quite something.

[@MLBFCollection]

;) yes

[@laurelvize6269]

Proud to be a fan of his.💋💞💔

[@FraSprea]

I first heard this recording more than 20 years ago. It's now part of my blood (or ketchup).

[@captainkane1984]

I see what you did there 😉 you sly devil.

[@laurelvize6269]

Wow.😁

[@MLBFCollection]

:)

[@LillyMarz777]

👍🥰

[@alexcordero6672]

Someone help me appreciate this. I came across this by reading about Meat Loaf's passing because I realized that I really didn't know anything about his history. I listen to this but I don't understand its appeal--basically, why is it considered cool? Mind you, I'm 57 so this work would have been part of my developing culture--but I never heard it until now. What is "The Dream Engine" How is this futuristic? Was Meat Loaf in this?

[@MLBFCollection]

Essentially The Dream Engine was a play concocted by Jim Steinman, the writer of many classic Meat songs - in 1969 by mashing together the play Baal with his own anti war spiel Its an interesting play with some great moments Neverland was the evolved version of the play with some new songs and a slightly different plot but much of the dialogue the same (besides the Peter pan characters) Meat was not in this but Karla DeVito and Elen Folley both were It's an interesting piece of Steinmania that not everyone can dig

[@alexcordero6672]

@@MLBFCollection I'll look up Baal and learn about it. Great and helpful response, thank you!!

[@debidee5548]

Basically Dream Engine, or Neverland is the name of the play that Jim Steinman has always had in his heart & mind and he wrote all his songs based on this play. When Meat Loaf auditioned for another Steinman play, More than You Deserve, he knew he'd be the perfect and only person who could bring his Neverland vision to life. Neverland never happened Meat Loaf is not singing in this one but his female lead singers Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito are. If you listen to this, Tanz der Vampire and every Jim Steinman song out there they all come from Neverland. Without Neverland, there wouldn't have been a Jim Steinman Meat Loaf pairing. Definitely check out the German musical Tanz der Vampire.

[@madhatterster]

This is where the history gets confused for me, and I saw it a lot with the articles for the Bat out of Hell musical too. It all seems to start somewhere around 2001, but my understanding always was that "Bat out of Hell" the album with Meat Loaf and "Neverland" were two separate projects. "Neverland" was a musical he'd been writing, and when the album succeeded and it looked like it was going to be turned into a movie, Jim then wanted Meat to play Tink. Only as the years went on, Meat was too old for the part so he became Captain Hook. Also, there were only three songs from "Bat" that appeared in the "Neverland" workshop. Why didn't Jim use all of the songs? But this is only my understanding. You would have to ask someone who intimately knows the situation. Barry the director has been commenting on some of these videos. Ask him perhaps.

[@laurelvize6269]

Sounds like Ellen Foley

[@MLBFCollection]

It is! Ellen played Wendy in this musical.

[@laurelvize6269]

He had such imagination.I got her record from years ago

[@MLBFCollection]

Nightout? Her 1979 album because it's bloody fantastic