Scary Poppins- Page 3

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 1:18am

So would Fruma Sarah's song in Fiddler...

[pharmer2000]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 1:52am

If you watch almost any Disney film, there are "scary" moments, as with almost all fairy tales. One exception to this rule has been the Mary Poppins movie with its lack of an evil villian. (i.e. evil witches, evil queens, heffalumps and woozles) I understand the fact that we are all familiar with the Mary Poppins Movie, and that this may lead parents to believe that this broadway musical would be "practically perfect" for their children. Although this may be a Disney production, parents must understand that this is also a full length broadway production and not Disney on ice. I hope that parents will research the appropriateness of this musical for their childs age and maturity level before they purchase tickets, so that the theater experience can be enjoyable for them, their children, and the audience around them. I have not seen the show yet, and am looking forward to seeing it later this month. Now I can't wait to see Poppins, controversial scene and all.

[pharmer2000]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 2:05am

As others have already pointed out on this message board, The official Disney website for this show does state age recommendations.

[ICEcreamAssassin]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:38am

in the LION KING .. Mufasa is murdered by his brother Scar.. thats not scary? Little Mermaid Ursula is such an evil creepy btch! How will they handle that in the musical. (although sounds like they are going a bit campy with the character) This actually makes me want to see Mary Poppins even more. I love the movie but I love the idea of seeing something new about something so familiar. It seems small children have become so sheltered by all these neurotic parents, as a child of the 80's we had films like labryinth and dark crystal.. talk about creepy... if anything Wicked should be a lil darker more in tone with the book.. IMO.. lol okay RANT OVER! :)

[avab802]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 10:30am

I loved Labyrinth as a kid, it was my favorite movie when I was around 6 years old. I also loved Gremlins. Maybe I was a weird kid.
I do agree though that American kids are sheltered. Most only know the happy Disney versions of fairy tales, for example. I'm not in favor of deliberately scaring very small children (i.e. 2-3 years old), but I think most kids are smarter than most adults give them credit for.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 10:57am

Mountains/molehills. The Lion King, Chitty, Beauty and the Beast all have their scary/creepy moments, but people don't make a big fuss out of them because they remember the same scenes from the films, so they expect them. Give them one creepy scene they are unfamiliar with and people are in an uproar. This was also discussed on various boards and in the media ad nauseum when the West End production opened, so it's not just an "American" thing. I don't think it will stop anyone from buying tickets, so I don't see any reason to remove it. The number is about scaring the children into treating their toys with more respect, which, duh! KEEP IT! I think all parents and children should be strapped into their seats a la Clockwork Orange and forced multiple viewings of the number until it makes them sick. Maybe they can add a number about how to behave in a theatre called "Shush! You Little Wankers!". Are you listening Mackintosh?

If people want only to see the film, they can buy the DVD for less and make the same amount of noise while watching it without bothering everyone else. And if the production is marketing anything that lights up, blinks, or beeps, I refuse to see it on Broadway. The amount of blinky toys in the audience at Chitty was enough to send me into an epileptic seizure. Idiots.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 11:07am

"P.L. Travers thought the film of Mary Poppins was too sentimental. She was not fond of it at all."

Actually, many people who knew her suspect that she liked it a lot more than she let on (i.e., her only real complaint was the cartoon scenes).

[HeyJayNYC]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 7:11am

I saw the show last night and LOVED IT!
That number was indeed scary, but I heard no kids crying around me. I liked the darker edge they put in. Makes Poppins more "real".
Please kids see scarier more violent things in cartoons and video games.
Some people are just weiners..and whiners.

[ICEcreamAssassin]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 7:15am

hahaha cute.. weiner! lol

[kec]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 7:18am

I saw the show in London twice. Neither time do I recall hearing any crying children after this scene.

The London production, if I remember correctly, had an age recommendation -- no children under 7.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 7:28am

Consider the source: the New York Post, a paper with a sometimes barely noding acquaintance with the truth. It must have been a slow week in the arts department.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 7:45am

Riedel always has sources to back him up.

[zerodanny]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 8:20am

MARY POPPINS The musical IS AMAZING!!!!!!

[BROADWAYFAN3]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 8:24am

terrible

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 10:18am

>> MARY POPPINS The musical IS AMAZING!!!!!!

Well, like we didnt see that line coming eventually... :: sigh ::

>> Riedel always has sources to back him up.

Some little kid probably gets bored and sleepy and crawls into her mother's lap, and Reidel makes that into a source to say the show is scaaaaaaaarrrrrryyyyyyyyyy.

Sorry, I dont buy the article for more than a moment or two. As already pointed out, there are far scarier scenes in "family" musicals like FIDDLER that no one bats an eyelash at. It's just cheap sensationalism on a slow news day and probably sold more tickets as a result.

[karen24]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 11:25am

I haven't seen the show yet, but it sounds like they tried to create their own, original "dark" scene for it, in an effort to evoke the feeling of Travers's darker chapters (like "Bad Tuesday," which has been mentioned above, or the chapter in which Jane goes into the world painted on a Delft bowl and then can't get out.) I don't understand why they didn't just base their "scary" scene on one of these original ideas from the books--I guess maybe they would have been to hard to stage. (Oh, for the person who asked about the original "Bad Tuesday," it was "cleaned up" for later editions because it contained some material that was pretty racist--they get to the South and are greeted by a Mammy-type character and two little "pickaninnies" eating watermelon!)

I have to disagree with the whole "American children are coddled and sheltered" argument. From what I can see, American parents are dragging their kids to all sorts of inappropriate movies. I see it all the time when I go to adult movies with my dh--parents are at "R" rated films with small children--I suppose because they don't want to pay for a sitter, or just don't care if their child is bored/scared/exposed to really inappropriate material. I've also been to homes where families have the TV going all day long--news, Jerry Springer, whatever comes across the screen, their kids see it all. Maybe they are just blocking it out. I hope so!

Trying to keep your kids away from material that they are not old enough to process/understand/cope with is not "coddling," it's good parenting. Every parent has to know his/her own kids and what they are ready to see (which doesn't always match the rating system for movies--my kids are now 12 and 14, and they have seen some "R" rated movies, but only ones I've checked out first.) I have no problem with this version of "Mary Poppins" being darker/scarier than the movie, but parents need to be aware of the differences between the movie and the play, and not bring their kids if they're not ready for it. I think the big problem is going to be those people who just come to the city, maybe get on line at TKTS, don't really know what show they're going to see, don't do any research, and just pick "Mary Poppins" because they've seen the movie. Those are the ones who are going to have to carry their crying kids out of the theater (at least, I hope they will take them out!)

Karen

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 1:23pm

I saw the show last night, Temper, Temper in its proper place. The only difference I noticed from the london cd is the beginning before Valentine pops out BWAY Show doesn't have the creepy "temper, temper, temper" repeated a few times.

As for the show, I loved it. I thought it was so entertaining and the cast was really great. Ashley Brown deserves at least a Tony Nomination for her performance. Gavin Lee's dancing is breathtaking and Rebecca Luker's singing is jaw dropping. A great show overall. I'd defiantely recommend it.

As for "Scary Poppins," as an adult I'd see "Brimstone and Treacle" as more scary than Temper Temper . . .

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 1:43pm

That's wonderful, WickedGeek! I seriously cannot wait to be there (only 22 more days!)

[kombatkoala]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 1:48pm

When I saw the show in London the kids I talked to after the show were fine with the number. They just wanted to know how the dolls got bigger and how one climbed out of the dollhouse.

[mebice]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 2:40pm

I agree with those who saw the Bway production. I saw it last night. Although, I don't like the way they did Temper, temper. It just seemed weird. I am all for having a dark moment, but it just seemed out of place for me. Miss Andrew's song was dark too, but it felt cohesive within the context of the show. So, overall, I think they should get rid of the Temper temper song, just because of its lack of cohesiveness, not for the scarinesss. The sets were amazing. The show reminded me a lot of Chitty Chitty on many different levels. Ashley Brown once again gave me chills. And Miss Andrew was phenomenal. Not bad, but it needs just a little work to be close to perfect.

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 3:25pm

Am I the only person who WAS scared by the movie version of Mary Poppins when I was little?? I hated the scene in the bank where the board members gang up on Mr. Banks so much that I always shut my tape off. I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually seen "Let's Go Fly a Kite."

Then again...I screamed whenever I saw the box for "The Brave Little Toaster." Guess I'm just a wimp

[Julian2]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 3:32pm

"Then again...I screamed whenever I saw the box for "The Brave Little Toaster." Guess I'm just a wimp"

Your not alone, I HATED that movie as a child.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 3:41pm

I personally think without that number it makes Poppins' first exit weaker.

Also, I forgot to mention the sets above. Perhaps the best sets I've seen in the past year. Awesome.

[BlueforBroadway]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 6:13pm

Yikes Clowns!! That in itself is scary. I won't be going to see this one.

[jv92]

Posted: 10/20/06 at 7:12pm

Poppins the film does have a scary bit after the kids escape from the bank and run through the slums of London. An old lady pops up and cackles at them and a rather large dog barks at them. Nothing as scary as something like the forest scene of Snow White, but a bit scary.