BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: December 4, 2006

MARY POPPINS

Corporate titan Disney and mega-producer Cameron Mackintosh join forces in bringing to Broadway—by way of London—another stage extravaganza which is sure to appeal to theatre-goers of all ages. Based on the stories of P. L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, MARY POPPINS, that beloved and unorthodox nanny, comes to the stage of the New Amsterdam Theatre and, like that house's former occupant, THE LION KING, this show is sure to be a lucrative tenant for years to come.

Directed by Richard Eyre, the "Dis-intosh" collaboration has assembled a vibrant creative team. From Bob Crowley's oversized Victorian doll house set to Matthew Bourne's deft choreography to the talented company of players, MARY POPPINS works theater magic no matter which way the wind blows.

Book scribe Julian Fellowes, the Oscar-winning screen-writer of "Gosford Park," models his title character more on the P. L. Travers conception than the 1963 Walt Disney movie persona we've come to know by way of Julie Andrews. And, while the film had all that wonderful animation, Eyre and his co-director, Bourne, have gingerly supplanted it with dazzling, fanciful effects.

This stage version of MARY POPPINS, played stateside by the lovely Ashley Brown, offers a more stern and self-possessed nanny who is not at all shy when it comes to singing her praises. In fact, she does so in the adorable new number, "Practically Perfect," one of many new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, neatly integrated into the classics from Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman's Oscar-winning film score.

Ashley Brown, a Disney Theatricals alumnus from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, has the poise and prettiness coined by Miss Andrews and she certainly possesses the vocal acumen. Rolling off delightful spins on such familiar tunes as "A Spoonful of Sugar" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," Miss Brown handily puts her own stamp on the role.

As George and Winifred Banks, Daniel Jenkins and Rebecca Luker play the heads of household. In this version of MARY POPPINS, it's the parents who are in need of some lessons in growing up. As the regimented George, Jenkins captivates us firmly as he evolves from an overworked martinet to an attentive father. And, Luker does a terrific job as the put-upon wife who doesn't quite live up to her spouse's social expectations.

At the press performance I saw, Kathryn Fraughnan and Henry Hodges played the children, Jane and Michael, and did a fine job terrorizing their nannies; that is until Mary Poppins makes her spectacular entrance. And, Ruth Gottschall does a grimacing turn as Miss Smythe, Mr. Banks' childhood nurse who turns up in Act Two with a frightening number, "Brimstone and Treacle".

Gavin Lee plays Bert, the chimney-sweep role Dick Van Dyke originated in the film. In this stage version, Bert takes on a stronger narrative purpose and Lee proves to be a most able performer, tapping his way from floor to ceiling in some of Bourne's most innovative choreography.

MARY POPPINS is one of those shows that drips with molasses-like sentimentality. But, marvelously, director Eyre and author Fellowes manage to pull in every element to keeps it from becoming mawkishly sweet. This is a show that bribes the viewer with wholesome hokum and even the most hardened among them won't be able to resist its uplifting message. And, with a finale that literally goes through the roof, MARY POPPINS is sure to win over hearts from nine to ninety.