Musical director Matt Dunkley on his favourite city for music and going to his own Neverland

SINGAPORE — Peter Pan is certainly the fantasy character of the moment: Hollywood just aired a TV version, Peter Pan Live!, in the United States last week. There’s also the movie, Pan, a retelling of the tale set for next year and starring Hugh Jackman.

But right now, we have the theatrical spectacular Peter Pan, The Never Ending Story that’s set to popular tunes, such as those by Robbie Williams and Josh Groban, playing at Resorts World Sentosa.

“Every country and culture seem to know about Peter Pan,” said its musical director Matt Dunkley.

This version has travelled to cities such as Dubai, Amsterdam and London, and Dunkley compared the production with the movie, Moulin Rouge, which counts among the many films he had worked on, including Inception, The Dark Knight and Love Actually. “Musically, we have gone for a broad appeal, with songs that are instantly recognisable and a bold and exciting cinematic score that will appeal to all.”

Q: How did you select the songs for Peter Pan?

A: The idea here was the same as Moulin Rouge, where the songs advance the plot. There is a narrator, but no dialogue. The songs have to push the plot forward. All the songs are very appropriate — One Day I’ll Fly Away, Dreamer, Angels, Forever Young. So when Peter sings, “Forever young”, Wendy answers, “Do you really want to live forever?” It fits the plot so well. All the songs are very well-known, but I’ve tried to give them a twist, so they appear fresh to the ears. The music would never get boring because we have everything from Robbie Williams and Duran Duran to Supertramp, Seal and Puccini.

Q: Is there a destination that is most magical to you?

A: The journey home after a long trip would be my magical destination. I travel a lot for my work, so coming home to my family is always special. That’s my little Neverland.

Q: You travel widely to work with different composers and orchestras — which city do you love most and why?

A: I’m very lucky that I get to travel a lot and I find something in each city I visit. I have just come to Singapore from Berlin and the architecture and culture there are wonderful. I love New York too, for its energy. I conducted at the Sydney Opera House earlier this year and that was very special.

Q: Is there a city whose music scene you are most impressed with?

A: Well, I’m biased obviously (being a Londoner by birth), but I still think London has the greatest musical life among the cities I’ve visited. We have five world class symphony orchestras, two opera companies, four ballet companies, numerous chamber ensembles as well as the West End and all its musicals. That’s an amazing cultural mix that I’ve never found anywhere else in the world.

Q: You’ve also worked with many big names such as U2, Pet Shop Boys, Tom Jones and AR Rahman. Do you listen to any of their music when you travel?

A: I listen to all sorts of music when I travel. Artistes I have worked with, as well as those I haven’t. I’m normally working on a project too, so I’ll be listening to mixes and demos for that, or composing new material even. I actually love to listen to classical music when I’m flying. I lead a busy life, so some beautiful orchestral music relaxes me. Serene Lim

Peter Pan, The Never Ending Story plays at RWS till Jan 20. For details, visit http://www.rwsentosa.com