Mary Poppins London & Broadway

I know this isn't 100% the reason, but the audiences in London react differently than American audiences. That could've contributed to the lukewarm reviews it got here.

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I don't know, I know I thought it had humongous problems when I saw it on Broadway, and I was really looking foward to it.

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There are a great many shows that received completely different reactions from the critics on different sides of the pond, but I think as far as Mary Poppins goes, the Broadway production simply doesn't seem to be as good as that in London.

In short, Cameron Mackintosh rules the London production, while it's mainly Disney who are in charge on Broadway (Poppins plays in a Mackintosh-owned house in London, whereas the New Amsterdam of course belongs to Disney). I think the London production received a lot of TLC from Cameron Mackintosh that seems to be absent on Broadway where the show comes across as stale.

The casting is a big factor -- notice how it's always Gavin Lee and no-one else who gets the raves on Broadway. The rest of the Broadway cast doesn't seem to sparkle, particularly Ashley Brown who really can't do an English accent to save her life. The original London cast (as well as subsequent casts) were pretty perfect in their roles, especially David Haig as Mr Banks. Mr Banks is the crux of the plot of the stage version -- if you don't get him right, then the whole show can drag.

Also the two productions seem to have been targeting completely different audiences (though that's not so much the case now). When it first opened in London, Poppins was marketed very differently as a musical for adults. Parents with children under the age of 7 or 8 were told to keep their children well clear of the theatre since this wasn't the sugary film on stage -- there were even slips inserted into the programmes reiterating this. The promotion was also done on adult TV culture programmes such as the late night The South Bank Show with emphasis on a return to the P. L. Travers books rather than appearances on kids' programmes with reprises of songs from the film. Even the logo and merchandising was very different to what it is now (and IMHO it's changed for the worse).

Disney obviously weren't very happy with this approach when box office receipts began to fall two years into the run, so the merchandising was completely changed and the logo for the London production is now the same as that for the Broadway production, which is evidently aimed at children and is much more family-friendly. Sadly I think the result is that the show comes across as another sanitised premeditated family-night-out in New York, which probably didn't appeal to the American critics.

I also think the different reactions are down to the two nations' conception of Mary Poppins. Most Americans know this character solely through the Disney film that has a very different feel from the books, and I don't think the fact that this wasn't a carbon copy of the film à la Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King really helped sell it. It's sad, really; the show really is one of the West End's gems, so it's a shame the Broadway production isn't regarded in the same way.

Why do critics use the phrase "family friendly" as though it's a curse word. When you look at the history of Broadway Musicals up until JCS & Hair I would argue most of Broadway was in-fact family friendly. A feel-good event people could enjoy and come away with feelings of American Optimism and Happiness.

Am I the only person that longs for more of a R&H/Irving Berlin/Jule Styne touch on Broadway? It seems that we could really use that return.

i was working in the West End in another show when Poppins first opened there and i remember thinking "this show is gonna get great reviews and kick the arse of all the other west end shows" but it didn't

Yes it had some good reviews but it also had a lot of luke warm reviews to like it did on broadway, they were a lot of praise for the design and cast but the book and score got a beating from some reviewers .

It isn't a MASSIVE success here in the UK , its a big success but not to the extent a lot of americans think, after all the show has just posted its closing notice after only a few years!!!

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P.S. When I saw it, I wasn't expecting the movie, just a coherent well told plot.

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I would take my 8 year old brother to West Side Story, that's plenty family friendly to me. Heaven forbid we start employing babysitters again.

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Scorpion, I agree with everything you wrote - nothing else to add!

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As much as I think Disney weanted to make this another family musical I do feel that this was a bad idea. I do think that they could have slighty changed their reputation for musicals that weren't always family friendly. I mean I have seen young kids get the crap scared out of them during temper temper and some of the kids don't get why Poppins acts strict during points of the show. I do feel that if they hadn't targarted it strictly as a musical for kuids and families then there wouldn't be as many firghtend kids in the theatre.

However, if disney ever broke their tradatioal style of family orented musicals then there would be a theatre that would house the hunchback of notre dame. That was the only reason why the show has yet to play in NYC because the show isn't as family friendly as beauty or lion king or tarzan. I do feel that If disney has changedd this outlook on thier shows then they can get a wider audiences. I do stronlgy fell however that the idea of disney being a curs word on broadway is only one that exists between hardcore theatre fans and no one else. However, that is just me and how I feel.

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Disney's treatment of Mary Poppins only confirms for me, at the least, that they have no other agenda than to make money. They're too afraid that they won't make money that they tamper with great material to be "safe". Thankfully, I think this show survives through the ludicrous tampers (I love it, so I obviously think this).

I don't blame them for wanting to make money. However, they could be even more successful critical wise if they tried to open more avenues for themselves.

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