Entertainment

Not now for ‘Neverland’

Harvey Weinstein‘s maiden voyage as a Broadway impresario has run into choppy waters.

The producer, who released the Oscar-winning “The King’s Speech,” is the driving force behind a new musical that has promise — “Finding Neverland.”

Based on the fine 2004 movie starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, “Finding Neverland” is about playwright J.M. Barrie and the family that inspired him to write “Peter Pan.”

Weinstein has backed several Broadway shows in the past. He’s often in the clump of names above the titles of such shows as “The Producers,” “Billy Elliot” and “All Shook Up.” “Finding Neverland” is the first show he has developed from scratch. (He produced the movie.)

The musical was scheduled to play an out-of-town tryout in November at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. But a couple of weeks ago, Weinstein yanked it from the lineup, shocking both Playhouse officials and his own creative team.

“Finding Neverland” has a score by Michael Korie and Scott Frankel, who wrote the critically acclaimed score for “Grey Gardens.” Allan Knee adapted the script from his stage play, “The Man Who Was Peter Pan.” Rob Ashford, who staged “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” was directing and choreographing.

A production source says the creators were “deeply disappointed” when they heard from their agents that a show they thought was ready to go before an audience was being scrapped. They were also unnerved last week by the abrupt departure of Ben Famiglietti, who was overseeing Weinstein’s budding theater empire. He sent a brief e-mail last week to friends and colleagues saying he was leaving the company. He’d been the point man on “Finding Neverland,” a project that meant a lot to him.

Famiglietti is well-liked on Broadway, although some people who’ve dealt with him say he never had any real power.

“Ben went to the ad meetings Harvey couldn’t be bothered with,” says a veteran producer.

Officials at the La Jolla Playhouse were furious when Weinstein pulled the plug on “Finding Neverland.” There were rumblings of a possible lawsuit. But the Playhouse has managed to fill the slot with the hit revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar” from Stratford, Ontario. That production, which has Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s blessing, will open on Broadway in the spring at the Neil Simon Theatre.

Weinstein’s theater staff warned him that canceling “Finding Neverland” at the last minute was unfair to the creators, and would damage his reputation on Broadway, sources say. But Weinstein, a blusterer of the first order, was having none of it. He told his underlings he can do what he wants, and if they don’t like it, they’re fired, sources say.

Shiver me timbers!

The official reason for the cancellation of “Finding Neverland” was that the musical needed more work. Weinstein, in a statement, said he’s planning to produce a workshop in New York in the fall. People who’ve seen readings of the show say it’s by no means finished, but would have benefited from a La Jolla run.

“There’s something wonderful there,” one person says. “Some of the songs are gorgeous. The creators knew they had work to do, but they needed to see it in front of an audience.”

Money was another issue, several sources said. The show has been conceived on a grand scale, with a pirate ship, flying sequences, special effects and real dogs (think of the Alpo bill alone). As the budget kept growing, Weinstein, sources say, got cold feet. He’d already come up with $300,000 to enhance the production at La Jolla — a nonprofit theater that often does deals with commercial producers — and was due to come up with additional money before the start of rehearsals.

A backers’ audition held in New York last April did not generate the excitement — or money — he was hoping for, sources say.

Weinstein has other screen-to-stage musicals in development — “Chocolat” and “Cinema Paradiso.” But with “Finding Neverland” in limbo — and Famiglietti out the door — Harvey’s not in line for the Theater Hall of Fame just yet.

He did not return a call seeking comment.

michael.riedel@nypost.com