Last night we took the family to the Broadway musical Mary Poppins, and what a treat it was! It is playing at the Fox Theater, which venue alone was a sight to see in all its ornate beauty. But the production was, in a word, amazing!
This Mary Poppins had many of the familiar Disney song and dance numbers including Chim-Chim-Cheree, Step in Time, A Spoonful of Sugar, and Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious, but it had many new songs written for this musical as well. All were wonderfully performed, as the cast sang and danced their way energetically through the play.
There were several characters that would be familiar only if you had read the book(s) by P.L. Travers, characters not seen in the Disney film. But having read the books to the boys, we were happy to see and know Miss Lark, Miss Andrew (the 'holy terror'), and Neleus the statue in the park. Still, for those who have not read the books, the theme of the musical was unchanged, and the added characters serve to bring out the wonders which occur wherever Mary Poppins is, much like the animated characters in the film version do.
The cast was wonderful, the story, songs and dance numbers were delightful, and there were even a couple of eye-popping 'special effects' that left the audience, adults and children alike in awe. My husband and I were still trying to figure out 'how'd they do that?!' this morning. I'll leave it at that, just in case a reader might get a chance to go. We all enjoyed it, and the boys, as if it were a dvd, want to see it again; unfortunately the live production is just a tad pricier than a dvd!
Mary Poppins continues at the Fox in St. Louis through August 30, and plays in other cities through September 2010.
Should you get to go, I'm pretty sure you'll agree that this Mary Poppins production is 'practically perfect in every way'!
5 comments:
I know this isn't quite the same as seeing the entire production again, but one of my daughters just received a DVD of the Disney version. In the Bonus Features is the "Step in Time" scene from the musical production. It might be nice to have, if only for memory's sake. :-)
Glad to hear the show is so well-done. I doubt I'll go since my hubby despises musicals ...
Oh, thanks for the tip, Sharon! The 'Step in Time' number was outstanding among them all. Might just have to get that DVD. :)
Despises musicals?? C'mon, Tim, not good enough. My own hubby went, not out of his own love of musicals, but because of MINE! At the least you could take Sharon and offer up your own time there as penance!
;)
I guess I should have added that I'm not too crazy about them myself. If I had to go to a musical (you know, if I had a child performing in one), I could do it. The only other thing that could get me to go to a musical would be if my mother or someone I'm close to didn't want to go to one alone. I have been to the Muny a couple times as a child, but not because I asked to go.
I admit I've always loved musicals. I think I can sing every song Rogers & Hammerstein ever wrote!
I've never been to the Muny; I'd love to go sometime.
Wow! What a coincidence! Nice everything about Mary Poppins... as it so happens, I had just stood up from watching the movie myself... seconds before I saw this post here.
~G.T.
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