MARY POPPINS Playbill Question (involves the alternating "Banks" roles)...

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:27pm

I will be going to see the show this summer on my trip to NYC and I have a question...when I get my Playbill at the show, do they actually have 3 seperate Playbills, one for each set of children playing Jane/Michael? Is that how I know which children I'm seeing, or are they all announced in the Playbill and there be an announcement at show time, or what? Haha, I'm curious.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:30pm

1 Playbill with an insert.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:30pm

They'll have a slip inside telling who your Jane and Michael are.

ETA: Yankee beat me!

Updated On: 1/20/07 at 07:30 PM

[Weez]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:31pm

I would guess the cheapest and easiest way to do it would be to have all the actors listed in the Playbill, and to put the appropriate actors on the board in the lobby. Can't promise that's how they do it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was how they did it. :3

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:33pm

Oh, okay, so it's like this: 1 Playbill, all 3 children listed for each role, then there's an insert saying which children your seeing? Correct?

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:34pm

Yes.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:35pm

Thank you!

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:35pm

Yes, that is correct.

Weez, they also have them listed on the board outside...so you were right. But I know that Equity requires at least two forms of announcing who will be playing role if it is not particularily specified in the playbill. I do not know, however, if this applies to the children (although I wouldn't be surprised, as a young boy from the UK was barred from playing Young Tarzan in the Original Broadway Cast).

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:40pm

Haha, do they do the same thing for TARZAN? Have them both listed in the Playbill under the role and then have an insert of which of the 2 is playing the role of Young Tarzan?

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:41pm

I have no idea.

Mary Poppins only does this because the children rotate their schedule, never performing the role the same day two-three weeks in a row.

Updated On: 1/20/07 at 07:41 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:42pm

Yes, Tarzan lists both.

Phantom - they didn't let the kid from the UK perform because there were kids in America who were just as talented.

But yes, they require at least 2 forms of notification. It's usually an insert and the lobby board, but many shows seem to add it into the preshow announcement, rather than the inserts nowadays.
Updated On: 1/20/07 at 07:42 PM

[turquoisefish]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:44pm

It annoys me that that doesn't happen in the UK. For Miss Saigon there were two Kims and it wasn't obvious who was on. For all the shows i have seen recently with children in there has been no announcement or slip in the programme (maybe a board but they are hard to see if used at all at my local theatre).

[turquoisefish]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:44pm

It annoys me that that doesn't happen in the UK. For Miss Saigon there were two Kims and it wasn't obvious who was on. For all the shows i have seen recently with children in there has been no announcement or slip in the programme (maybe a board but they are hard to see if used at all at my local theatre).

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:47pm

I know why, I was just saying because I was pointing out an example of Equity holding "judgement" over children.

(For the record, here's the article referring to the event:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/95675.html)

Updated On: 1/20/07 at 07:47 PM

[Weez]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:49pm

When I saw 'Evita', we didn't get a paper insert telling us that Abbie Osmon was on instead of Elena Roger, just a board on the way up the stairs. But when I saw 'Avenue Q' last, we got a paper insert and an audio announcement that the delectable Clare Foster would be playing Kate/Lucy (and a couple other changes). So I don't think it's a UK thing, just something that varies between theatres/productions. I'm sure I remember other productions where I've had understudies/standbys without any sort of announcement at all... plus I still have no idea which kids I saw when I saw 'Mary Poppins' in Bristol. Ah well. ^_^

Updated On: 1/20/07 at 07:49 PM

[Bwaymom]

Posted: 1/21/07 at 6:55pm

I'm not sure how it works at Mary Poppins, but I imagine it's similar to the rotation at Les Miz. I was just looking at the Playbill and there are 3 Young Cosettes and they have either a *, ** or *** following their names in the cast list. The Gavroches have # or ## after their name. There is a schedule listed that says * Wednesday Evening, Saturday Matinee.... etc.

I've seen the show twice and it appears they rotate the kids' schedules from month to month.

[Jovie24]

Posted: 1/21/07 at 7:01pm

A question that is related to the program you get..why is it called a "SHOWBILL" rather than a "PLAYBILL" for Mary Poppins?

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/21/07 at 7:05pm

The producers pay extra so they can control some of the advertising, and to make the aritcles all about the show itself. In general, it's more focused on the show than a standard playbill.

There are no asterisks, et cetera, in the Poppins showbill. Just what has been discussed above is used.

Updated On: 1/21/07 at 07:05 PM