'Mary Poppins' Brings Writer's Work to Life

Arts & Entertainment Editor

   Everyone who grew up watching the creativity and imagination of Walt Disney and his Imagineers might have watched or heard of "Mary Poppins," the no-nonsense nanny, who not only taught her charges but the parents about right and wrong and how to be a family.

   The Broadway version of this child’s tale is no different from the movie in this way, but seeing the story of “Mary Poppins” come to life on stage shows, not only the vision of the P.L. Travers, but the talent of the actors, too.

   The play begins just as the movie does, Jane (Alexandra Berro) and Michael Banks (Mathew Gumley) running away from their nanny, Katie Nanna (Megan Osterhaus). The nanny quits, the Banks advertised for a new nanny, and the children read their own advertisement. This time Mary Poppins (Ashley Brown) just doesn’t walk into their lives, but literally just appears in their living room to the surprise of the household and gets straight to work.

   She first measured the children and then herself leading into the song “Practically Perfect.” In this song, she says how she is “practically perfect in every way.” This song replaced “A Spoon Full of Sugar” that played in the movie during the nursery scene. The children clean up the nursery and go for a walk in the park.

   In the park, Poppins met Burt (Gavin Lee), a jack-of-all-trades, and they go for a “Jolly Holiday” with the children.   The park appeared to be dark and dreary. The children first questioned Poppins’ reason for going to he park to meet Neleus (Brian Letendre), a marble statue that comes to life. Neleus and the children played in the park and soon join Poppins and Burt. Neleus, Jane, Michael, Poppins, Bert, the dancing statues (not penguins), Queen Victoria (Ruth Gottschall) and other revelers danced and sang to the song “Jolly Holiday.”  The park changed from its dreary state to reveal a world of color and excitement. After the song ends, the park returned to normal, just as if the “holiday” never happened.

   The music played during this scene was active and lively. The actors dressed in bright, cheerful colors of pinks, purples, orange, red and white. Poppins wore a pink, flowing skirt with a white frilled blouse with pick vest and hat. Bert wore a purple suit and the child wore the clothes they came in.

  The play moved in the next scene for roles in society. George Banks (Daniel Jenkins), the father, sang of “Precision and Order,” saying how Poppins rearranged his household. Winifred Banks (Rebecca Luker), a former actress, questioned her role as “Mrs. Banks” and her place in society and how she doesn’t seem to fit the role.  Later on she discover what her role really is, just being a wife and mother in the play of her life.

   In the rework of music and scenes for the musical “A Spoon Full of Sugar” and snap game scene from the movie is used to clean up the kitchen after the children decide to help Mrs. Brill (Jane Carr), the cook and maid, by making the icing for the cake. Mrs. Brill fixes refreshments for Mrs. Banks social engagement and her work pulled her in a million directions. In her absence from the kitchen, the kitchen table breaks, flour goes everywhere, dishes fall off shelves, shelves break, the facet breaks off and water sprayed everywhere, and Robertson Ay (Mark Price), the butler, get shurt.        

   Poppins gave the children a “Spoon Full of Sugar,” a medicine tastes how you want it to, and then they cleaned up the kitchen with the “snap game.” Everything snapped back into place and the cake, that the cook was trying to ice, gets iced, to everyone’s surprise.

   In one scene, Poppins decided to take the children to the bank, where their father worked. Mr. Banks met with two men who wanted a loan, Von Hussler (Sean McCourt), the one who doesn’t have a plan and could make a lot money with his venture, and Northbrook (Matt Loehr), a man who wanted his workers to have better working conditions and to keep their jobs.

   Banks’ children arrived before their father finishes his meeting with Northbrook, and he left soon after with the statement that family was more important. Before he leaves, he gave them each a sixpence to spend. The children asked the question of whether a plan or people are more important and with this question, Banks decides to gives the loan to Northbrook.

   The next musical number visited the Bird Woman (Cass Morgan) and her everlasting call to feed the bird for only a “tuppence a bag.” Michael wanted to buy a bag, which Poppins payed for. Morgan and Brown sang a beautiful duet for the number.

   In the movie, the actors sang the  “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” song at the derby, but in the play, Poppins takes the children to Mrs. Corry’s (Janelle Anne Robison) sweet shop. The shop shows the viewer a variation of reds, blues and oranges for the outside of the shop, with two candy counters and brightly dressed actors in what can be described as clown make-up. The actors not only sang the song in this scene, but also spelled it. Poppins, Jane and Michael selected 18 vowels and 16 constants to spell the word.

   The story also tried to teach a lesson with “Temper, Temper,” in which both Jane and Michael lose their tempers and are convicted by their toys. Valentine (Dominic Roberts), Jane’s doll, brought the charges, as the toys in the nursery become full size. The children are judged and charged with losing their temper, and the toys tied the tape measure that Poppins first measured them with, around them. They came back to reality when Poppins reentered the room.

   Poppins left the Banks’ household when she realized the children were not willing to learn, and Winifred Banks replaced her with the fear-invoking Miss Andrew (Ruth Gottschall). Miss Andrew frightened not only Mrs. Banks and the children, but also her old charge, Mr. Banks, who ran in fear. 

   Andrew threatened her charges with “Brimstone and Treacle,” her tonic she used for punishment. The children run away and when they returned home, Poppins returned to save them. She released Andrew’s bird, battled her by making her drink all of the “Brimstone and Treacle,” and caged her and sent her down through the stage floor door. Brown and Gottschall sang remarkable high-reaching notes unimaginable in their duets of “Brimstone and Treacle” part II.

   After Banks made the decision to give the loan to Northbrook, the bank suspended for a time and then gives him a promotion after finding out his decision saved them from ruin. Northbrook not only repayed the loan, but also built two more factories. Banks received a raise and moved up the ladder at the bank by making the decision he did. The children and Poppins watched like flies on the wall and see their mother and father grow closer together and work as a team.

   The play and the movie bring to viewers the idea that being a family is very important and sometimes we need a little help seeing that.

   Disney commissioned the writer of "Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers, to write the play and it, like the books, debuted in England, where Travers wrote the books. The play used songs performed in the movie, as well as new arrangements such as “Anything Can Happen,” “Practically Perfect” and “Brimstone and Treacle.”

   Richard M. Sherman and Robert Sherman wrote the original music for the movie and George Stiles and Anthony Drewe wrote the new song lyrics and additional music and lyrics.   The composers of both the musical and the movie contributed songs for this musical masterpiece that are both memorable and catchy. The actors really brought the characters to life and made the world of created by Travers real.

   To learn more about "Mary Poppins: The New Musical" go to the official Web site. 

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