Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is a Broadway hit, selling over a million dollars of tickets each week. Gavin Lee, who was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Bert in the West End mounting of Mary Poppins, reprises his performance on the Great White Way. See the stage version of the popular Disney film now at the New Amesterdam Theatre.

Tickets, Review, Song list, Cast album, Music, Links, Press Release

This site has links for both the Broadway and London stage productions of Mary Poppins

Tickets

For sold out performances:
Mary Poppins Tickets at New Amsterdam Theater

Ticketmaster tickets for Mary Poppins

UK site for London info Mary Poppins UK

The new musical Mary Poppins stars Ashley Brown as Mary and Olivier Award nominee Gavin Lee as Bert. The score is primarily from the Sherman brothers' original Oscar-winning movie score but enhanced for stage with new songs and additional music and Lyrics by Honk creators George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Cast Album for London / Broadway versions

Order from Amazon.com USA Mary Poppins London Cast [Soundtrack]

order from Amazon UK - Mary Poppins Original London Cast

Song Tracks
1. Prologue/Chim Chim Cheree
2. Cherry Tree Lane Pt 1
3. The Perfect Nanny
4. Cherry Tree Lane Pt 2
5. Practically Perfect
6. Jolly Holiday
7. Cheery Tree Lane (reprise)/Being Mrs Banks/Jolly Holiday (reprise)
8. A Spoonful Of Sugar
9. Feed the Birds
10. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
11. Temper, Temper
12. Chim Chim Cheree
13. Cherry tree Lane (reprise) 1
14. Brimstone & Treacle
15. Let's Go Fly A Kite
16. Good For Nothing/Being Mrs Banks (reprise)
17. Brimstone & Treacle Pt 2
18. Step In Time
19. A Man Has dreams/A Spponful Of Sugar (reprise)
20. Anything Can Happen
21. A Spoonful of Sugar (reprise)
22. A Shooting Star

Review

Who Needs A Nanny?

A review of Mary Poppins as seen in London in March 2005

by Gerry Sloan

After years of speculation and a triumphant out of town try out Mary Poppins has flown onto the London stage with a freshness and confidence that has turned this latest mega-musical into an intelligent, crowd pleasing hit.

Mary Poppins is a co-production between Disney and Cameron Mackintosh based on the hit movie and book of the same name. The stage incarnation thanks to an A list production team and cast manages to honour its source material whilst becoming something new and unique in its own right. Rarely has a London musical felt so complete in its own inventiveness. The stage show faithfully creates the magic movie moments and then turns them on their head resulting in audiences expectations being met and then fully surpassed.

The book by Julian Fellows tells the story of the Banks family with its two troubled children Jane and Michael in need of discipline, order and love. The question is who actually needs the nanny the children or the parents? The Banks children wish for the perfect nanny and when Mary Poppins arrives their world is turned upside down. Mr Banks (movingly played by David Haig) is a starched upstart of a man who by evenings end is transformed into loving father with his spirit of adventures re-awakened. His wife played by the sublime Linzi Hately clearly loves him but can't communicate with him. In the shows most moving song "Being Mrs Banks" she sings of her anguish at not being allowed to love him fully. As the show moves from scene to scene the family is pulled apart and put back together with lessons learned and relationships strengthened magically brought about by a certain flying nanny. Mary Poppins may be a classic book and movie but the stage shows story like all classic musicals will be felt world wide.

Any Mary Poppins will stand and fall by its central casting and at the shows heart a star has been born. Laura Michelle Kelly plays Poppins with a haughty self regard with an equal twinkling of fun and mischievousness. Given a superb star entrance and exit Laura is the real thing complete with magic carpet bag! She sings beautifully and whether flying up banisters, tap dancing across roof tops or making the children's world sparkle this Poppins is fully in command. Playing beautifully against Bert (an athletic and attention grabbing performance by Gavin Lee without the dreadful accent of Dick Van Dyke), Laura Michelle Kelly has won raves for a performance that cleverly respects a certain Julie Andrews and then surpasses it. Teaching the children lessons in life has never been so fun filled.

The supporting cast are equally strong with a wickedly malicious performance from Rosemary Ashe as Mary Poppins untimely replacement who meets a deserving end.

Much like Wicked on Broadway, Mary Poppins is a large, crowd pleasing show with an intelligent book that respects and strengthens its original source. Like Wicked it's a show filled with enough fun to delight children but with enough wit and surprises to equally enchant adults.

As designed by Bob Crowley Victorian England has never looked better. From the wonderful split levelled Banks house (which does everything but take a bow), to flying nursery, to inky star filled London skies to a park filled with dancing statues Mary Poppins is wonderfully designed with Crowley also providing elegant and witty costumes.

Star choreographer Mathew Bourne has at his disposal a cracking team of dancers and adds athletic, original choreography to the most famous numbers. In Poppins he has outdone himself. The shows stand out dance number Step in Time sends the audience into a frenzy of cheering. Tap dancing chimney sweeps storm the stage whilst Gavin Lee as Bert defies gravity by walking around the proscenium arch. Surely one of the best numbers ever to grace a London stage and worthy of an audiences roar.

The famous Disney songs have been re-thought and re-organised and party re-written by one of Britain's most talented song writing teams George Stiles (Music) and Anthony Drewe (lyrics) whose moment has finally come. They provide Poppins with a witty first song "Practically Perfect" and a superb finale "Anything That Can Happen", which has become this year's most quoted song from a stage show. But all are beautifully written and equally at home with the old favourites.

Richard Eyre has directed the show with a firm hand and keeps the evening in continuous fluid motion. The superb special effects are never allowed to distract from the story and the surprises are constant and original.

The show, is a superbly produced, beautifully crafted, moving entertainment that will exceed your expectations and transport audiences to musical theatre heaven with its mixture of intimate moments, all out show stoppers and star performances. Its nightly ovations are richly deserved and the show has re-awakened the West end to the fact that at last it has a world wide, ticket frenzy phenomenon on its hands

When Miss Poppins ascends into the auditorium during the gasp inducing finale its hard not to feel magically transported. After all this is what musical theatre should do. The show succeeds beautifully. To quote the famous nanny its "practically perfect in every way."

BUY TICKETS For sold out performances:
Mary Poppins Tickets at New Amsterdam Theater

Ticketmaster tickets for Mary Poppins

Also see our UK site for London info Mary Poppins UK

Sheet Music (Movie version)

Mary Poppins Easy Piano Mary Poppins Sheet Music - Easy Piano/vocal version

Mary Poppins Piano Vocal and Guitar Chords: Mary Poppins Sheet Music for Piano/Vocal/Chords

Downloadable sheet music for "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"

Downloadable sheet music for "Feed the Birds"

Downloadable sheet music for "Chim Chim Cher-ee"

Downloadable sheet music for "A Spoonful of Sugar"

Links

Disney Theatrical - Official Site

Official Site - UK | Review - Theatrepeople.com.au

Read Gerry Sloan's review of Wicked

Review: Talkinbroadway review

Press Release 11/11/05 re. Mary Poppins

MARY POPPINS
ARRIVES ON BROADWAY
OCTOBER 14, 2006
AT THE NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE

DISNEY'S THE LION KING
TO BEGIN PERFORMANCES AT
BROADWAY'S MINSKOFF THEATRE
JUNE 13, 2006

President of Disney Theatrical Productions Thomas Schumacher and legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce that the hit production of MARY POPPINS, based on the stories by P.L. Travers and the 1964 Walt Disney film will begin performance on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre (Broadway at West 42nd Street) Saturday, October 14, 2006 for a Thursday, November 16, 2006 opening. MARY POPPINS will continue its record-breaking run at the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End.

Disney's THE LION KING will move in its entirety, including all 52-cast members and the entire 24-member orchestra, from the New Amsterdam Theatre on June 4, 2006 and begin performances nine days later at its new home the Minskoff Theatre (Broadway at West 45th Street) on June 13, 2006. The move will follow the completion of custom renovations to accommodate the Tony Awardâ-winning production.

"We are delighted to be able to bring MARY POPPINS to Broadway and continue our successful partnership with Cameron Mackintosh. After the enormous success of the show in London, I'm looking forward to these two great production companies working together for years to come," Thomas Schumacher said. "I'm happy that the New Amsterdam will be the venue where Broadway will be introduced to the residents of 17 Cherry Tree Lane, and I am eager to see THE LION KING play its first performance at its new home: the Minskoff Theatre. The refurbishing that is being planned by the Nederlander Organization will wonderfully complement Julie Taymor's work and will make an ideal home for the production."

"My first introduction to MARY POPPINS was over 40 years ago when I first saw Walt Disney's magical film and with this announcement, I am delighted to continue my hugely pleasurable collaboration with Tom Schumacher," Cameron Mackintosh said. "Putting Pamela Travers' stories on stage has been the most terrific and exhilarating time and I'm looking forward to bringing this glorious production to America. Just as MARY POPPINS opened in London at my newly restored Prince Edward Theater, it is serendipitous that the show will open on Broadway at Disney's stunning New Amsterdam Theatre

"This isn't the first time that I have agreed to refurbish a theatre for Disney and THE LION KING," said James M. Nederlander. "We completely renovated the Pantages in Los Angeles to host THE LION KING there, so when Tom Schumacher and the folks at Disney came to me about the Minskoff, I couldn't say no. With the Richard Rodgers for Tarzan, the Palace for Aida, the Lunt-Fontanne for Beauty and The Beast, and now with the Minskoff for THE LION KING, we are happy to call Tom and Disney our partners as well as our friends."

MARY POPPINS features many of the original songs from the film, with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who won two Oscarsâ for the film Mary Poppins. The new stage production features new songs and additional music and lyrics by Olivierâ Award-winners George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The production has been created in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh.

Director Richard Eyre leads the award-winning creative team assembled for MARY POPPINS with co-direction and choreography by Olivierâ Award winner Matthew Bourne. MARY POPPINS features a book by Oscarâ-winner Julian Fellowes, set and costume design is by Tony Awardâ winner Bob Crowley, co-choreography by Olivierâ Award winner Stephen Mear, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and musical supervision by David Caddick.

It took Walt Disney twenty years to make the film of MARY POPPINS, from the time he first tried to secure the film rights to its triumphant premiere in 1964. The film was an immediate and phenomenal success, earning universal acclaim. The film played to an estimated 200 million people when it was released, engendering extraordinary affection in its audiences, and has remained one of Disney's most enduring and best-loved films.

MARY POPPINS creator Pamela Lyndon (P.L.) Travers was born Helen Lyndon Goff in Australia on August 9, 1899. While touring as a theatre actress, Pamela began publishing poems, articles, and stories; which led to a career in journalism. It was in 1934, while living in England, that she wrote the first of six books featuring Mary Poppins. When publishing, Pamela used only her initials, hiding her gender to avoid being dismissed as an archetypal female author of children's books. Travers wrote a number of other adult books, including The Fox at the Manger, Friend Monkey, and About the Sleeping Beauty. Pamela Travers passed away on April 23, 1996.

Casting and additional information for MARY POPPINS on Broadway will be announced at a future date.

Since opening on Broadway in 1997, THE LION KING is the winner of over 70 major awards worldwide and has become a global phenomenon seen by more than 33 million people and a total of nine productions currently running worldwide: New York, London, Tokyo, Melbourne, Nagoya (Japan), Hamburg, Scheveningen (The Netherlands), and two U.S. national tours. THE LION KING began performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre on October 15, 1997 and opened on Thursday, November 13, 1997.

Tickets for THE LION KING are available at the New Amsterdam Theatre Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4747. Prices range from $40-$100. For group sales information please call (800) 439-9000.

There are currently 14 productions worldwide of Disney Theatrical Productions' hit musicals Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aida, and Mary Poppins, in partnership with Cameron Mackintosh. Those productions have, collectively been seen by over 68 million people worldwide. Disney's Beauty and the Beast, is currently the sixth-longest running show in Broadway history at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida can currently be seen in Seoul, South Korea with an upcoming production to open later this month in Munich, Germany. In New York, Aida received four 2000 Tony Awardsâ and a 2000 GRAMMYâ for Best Musical Show Album. Disney's latest musical TARZANâ, featuring the music of Phil Collins and direction by Bob Crowley will have its world premiere at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre in May 2006.

Cameron Mackintosh produced his first musical 35 years ago and since then has produced hundreds of productions all over the world including Cats, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera , the three longest running musicals in Broadway history, Miss Saigon, Little Shop of Horrors, Side By Side By Sondheim, Follies, Martin Guerre, The Witches of Eastwick, and acclaimed revivals of My Fair Lady, Oliver! and Oklahoma! For the last 25 years it has been Cameron's long-standing ambition to produce a stage musical of Mary Poppins and he was delighted to bring this to fruition with Disney in December 2004. He owns seven theatres in London's West End – the Prince of Wales, Gielgud, Queens, Wyndhams, Albery, Novello and the Prince Edward that is now home to Mary Poppins. In 1995 his company received The Queen's Award for Export Achievement and he was knighted in the 1996 New Year's Honours for his services to British Theatre. He is President of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and in 1990 he endowed the Chair of Contemporary Theatre at St Catherine's College, Oxford where he is also an Honorary Fellow and Member of the Court of Benefactors.