Mary Poppins

[JRbroadway2]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 11:48pm

Is it coming to broadway or not? If so, when?



Updated On: 3/25/05 at 11:48 PM

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 12:00am

For now, there is only speculation.

[juice23]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 12:57am

if there is a God in heaven it will.... I really want to see it! It has one of the most beautiful scores i have ever heard in a movie...and i think that will lend nicely to the stage. Its doing pretty well in London...so PLEASE give it a go here!

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 1:13am

I am not sure whether I want it to go to Broadway. I think it's a truly magical magical night for me. It's just that I think that should be some shows that should stay in the Westend... like Witches of Eastwick. I might be wrong, but I have an impression that most London shows go to Broadway, but not all Broadway shows go to London recently.
But back to topic, it is a VERY gd show! If you come over to London, WATCH IT by any means!

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 1:14am

It was good, not AMAZING, but good. The sets were AMAZING though.I expect it should reach Broadway next spring, probably an early May opening. But, it needs to be at one of the largest theatres on Broadway, and the Gershwin is taken. The Ford would be nice, but Chitty might still be around. The Broadway Theatre could work nicely, and Mambo Kings probably won't last long...

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 2:00am

I enjoyed MARY POPPINS in London. It's not fantastic, but it's a solid show - not exceptionally theatrical like THE LION KING, but more creative then BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. I actually appreciated that the show was not a carbon copy of the movie, and that it went back to the books.

That said, I thought the show focused too heavily on the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Banks, leaving the character of Mary Poppins, oddly enough, a rather supporting role.

The new songs were fun, though not extraordinary. The cast uniformly strong but not astounding.

I don't know that I'd rush to see it again, but in the grand pursuit for family entertainment on Broadway, you can't ask for too much more. Obviously, this is going to be a sensation on any stage it plays -- and indeed it will play for decades to come.

And to answer the question -- Fall, 2006 is what I've heard for a tentative Broadway opening.

I bet it will end up at the Broadway or the Imperial.
Updated On: 3/26/05 at 02:00 AM

[BWAYboi_yes]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 1:36pm

I thought it was solid. Long, but solid. The title role seemed a little to "easy" in a way. Not challenging in the least, as I witnessed. I didn't really think it was appropriate the LMK took home the Olivier, but I can see why she did. I hope it stays in London- it's very London, I think. Much like I hope Wicked stays in New York, but we all know that won't happen.

[riv]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 1:46pm

Thesbijean: "...and Mambo Kings probably won't last long..."

May I ask why? It seems to be one of the better ideas for a film-to-stage musicalization.

Updated On: 3/26/05 at 01:46 PM

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 1:50pm

It will be in New York next year. Disney wouldn't dare keep it in London exclusively because Disney's job is to make money and the market here is far more vast than the European market. Der Glockner remained in Germany because the show has more European appeal and the sucess of Hunchback was only moderate overall. Mary Poppins will be a great tourist show addition to New York. Plus, Tom Schumacher will have a big ego boost. If he can get a couple more years out of Beauty and the Beast (which I believe he can), he'll more than likely have four shows (w/ Tarzan) running simultaneously in New York. What producer wouldn't love that?

[Jane Smith]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 2:25pm

oh lord, Tarzan's coming to broadway?

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 2:45pm

Yes Ma'am, he'll be swinging onto the stage soon. I'd heard Tarzan rumblings for a couple of years but thought it was about as certain as "Mermaid." Then yesterday, I was driving down the road and on the radio there was an interview with Phil Collins. He said he was busy finishing the score for "Tarzan" that will be appearing on Broadway soon.

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 3:05pm

I saw another posts about cast, but i guess this relates to Poppins....I pray to God that chenoweth never touches the script for Mary Poppins (title role)....She would destroy it...Poppins is a character I believe to be a tall matriarch woman who is sophisticated and elegant sounding...I would prefer not to listen to Kristen's chipmunck like voice singing Spoon Full of Sugar and Feed the Birds...or even the script for the duration of the show....However, I would LOVE to hear/see Sutton Foster in the role, she's got enough class to carry it off as well as a goofy side to let herself go ( like Andrews did in the Supercali. number)

Posted: 3/26/05 at 3:06pm

Out of all the Disney musicals, I think Mary Poppins has the potential to be great...content and music wise. I would love to see it on Broadway!

I'm interested to see how Tarzan will turn out. I wonder if Broadway will have one too many Disney productions in the next couple years. Hmmm... Disneyland in NYC?

~Rosalynn

Posted: 3/26/05 at 3:12pm

There should be a Little Mermaid musical, with Chenoweth

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 3:14pm

hmmmm, that i could probably agree with...but PLEASE never Poppins

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 3:57pm

Mambo Kings will do well initially, but it ISN'T a tourist show, and it has no marquee names, and Billy Dee Williams is not a marquee name by the way...

[riv]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 4:00pm

Therefore, let's not produce it, right?

You could say the same about most of Sondheim's shows since they aren't for tourists and generally don't feature marquee names.

Or is there more to this than is being let on?
Updated On: 3/26/05 at 04:00 PM

[timote316]

Posted: 3/26/05 at 4:16pm

While its not necessarily good for Broadway, shows nowadays need to be good for tourists. This means, sadly enough: movies on stage (or at least familiar stories), pop music, big time stars. While Mambo Kings is a movie on stage, its not exactly the biggest movie on stage (a la Mary Poppins). It doesnt have stars, and I'm doubting the pop music. Its hard to see it lasting long enough to prevent Mary Poppins from taking their theater by Tonys 2006.

ETA: That is a good point about Sondheim's shows. Case in point: Bernadette in Gypsy. Flop. Another: Into the Woods, with Vanessa Williams. Flop. Sad as it is, Broadway isn't Sondheim territory anymore, because of the tourist factor.
Updated On: 3/26/05 at 04:16 PM

[bill mobley]

Posted: 3/30/05 at 6:28pm

Hi I'm relatively knew to the message board. I'm Bill Mobley. I've done community theatre in Atlanta: Driving Miss Daisey (Hoke), 1940's Murder Mystery, Soldier's play...etc. Anyway, what about Will Smith trying Bert? He may be too tall for the character though. But I envision him singing "Chim Chim Cheree," and I mean in the original way, not a soulful version or anything like that. Yes. Come to think of it, he would be a perfect Bert. He'd have to get a little cheesy to do "It's a Jolly Holiday" though.