#1
Posted: 11/12/06 at 9:10pm
Well, in a word . . . boo. Overall, an emotionally disconnected disappointment. I was sitting in the fourth row center orchestra, which is usually thrilling, but the longer the show went on, the more my heart sank at what I was seeing up-close. Richard Eyre has directed talented actors to check their authenticity at the door and deliver grotesque charicatures.
Here's the good: as many other people have posted, the set was amazing. The nursery got applause when it first came in. And the costumes were just incredible -- especially for Supercalifragilistic.
In my opinion, the show belongs to Rebecca Luker. She brings warmth, humor and soul to Winifred Banks. The few emotionally real moments came from her -- something that hasn't been seen from her in the past (e.g. Music Man). And her voice, even though it sounded a bit raspy, was simply glorious. The "Anything Can Happen" theme is introduced nicely by Ashley Brown -- and then you hear Rebecca Luker sing it, and you just melt because it's so gorgeous.
Jane Carr brought a natural humor to Mrs. Brill that was wonderful -- I just wanted more of it!
Cass Morgan was fine, although if I were 8 years old, she'd scare the crap out of me, too.
Gavin Lee brought an ease and warmth to Bert that was lovely, but he really seemed to be phoning in most of his performance.
The ensemble was brimming over with youthful energy and executed the choreography well (although I didn't really like most of the choreo). A couple actors stood out for really having crafted their characters well: Sean McCourt (as Von Hussler, an elderly banker who keeps his hand over his face, and the jack-in-the-box in "Temper, Temper") and Tyler Maynard (who is HYSTERICAL as Valentine).
The not-so-good: Ashley Brown is horribly, HORRIBLY miscast in this show. She has a beautiful voice but can't sing "legit" material -- there is no musicianship, no legato. She doesn't have a handle on who Mary Poppins is at all. She parrots her lines lightning-fast with a cheap imitation of a British accent and a huge perma-grin. She comes off having the same emotional maturity as the Banks children. Where is the grounded, wise, all-seeing, fun-loving nanny that we all know Mary is? Rebecca Luker was so solid on stage that she had 1000 times more "Mary" energy than Ashley did. I think Ashley is just way too young and inexperienced to be carrying a show like this.
Daniel Jenkins is all over the place. He seemed more like an actor scared to death of the Broadway stage than the easily-flustered and anal character of Mr. Banks. There was really no reason why Mrs. Banks should have felt any warmth or love for him at all -- and poor Rebecca Luker was left to manufacture the relationship all on her own.
The Banks children (Katherine Leigh Dougherty and Matthew Gumley) just shouted all their lines for the entire show and never made eye contact with the other actor they were speaking with. I wanted to shoot them 30 seconds into Act I and it never got any better.
Everything moved SO fast -- especially at the beginning of Act I -- that the story felt really rushed. There wasn't time for the actors to forge emotional connections with each other or the audience. Maybe I'm mistaken for expecting to walk out of Mary Poppins feeling something -- or even having learned something -- but this show felt to me like a spectacle with no foundation. Like icing with no cake underneath.
I know that the "regular Joes" in the audience probably loved it, and because of that, this show will run for a very long time. I just wish that it deserved to.
Here's the good: as many other people have posted, the set was amazing. The nursery got applause when it first came in. And the costumes were just incredible -- especially for Supercalifragilistic.
In my opinion, the show belongs to Rebecca Luker. She brings warmth, humor and soul to Winifred Banks. The few emotionally real moments came from her -- something that hasn't been seen from her in the past (e.g. Music Man). And her voice, even though it sounded a bit raspy, was simply glorious. The "Anything Can Happen" theme is introduced nicely by Ashley Brown -- and then you hear Rebecca Luker sing it, and you just melt because it's so gorgeous.
Jane Carr brought a natural humor to Mrs. Brill that was wonderful -- I just wanted more of it!
Cass Morgan was fine, although if I were 8 years old, she'd scare the crap out of me, too.
Gavin Lee brought an ease and warmth to Bert that was lovely, but he really seemed to be phoning in most of his performance.
The ensemble was brimming over with youthful energy and executed the choreography well (although I didn't really like most of the choreo). A couple actors stood out for really having crafted their characters well: Sean McCourt (as Von Hussler, an elderly banker who keeps his hand over his face, and the jack-in-the-box in "Temper, Temper") and Tyler Maynard (who is HYSTERICAL as Valentine).
The not-so-good: Ashley Brown is horribly, HORRIBLY miscast in this show. She has a beautiful voice but can't sing "legit" material -- there is no musicianship, no legato. She doesn't have a handle on who Mary Poppins is at all. She parrots her lines lightning-fast with a cheap imitation of a British accent and a huge perma-grin. She comes off having the same emotional maturity as the Banks children. Where is the grounded, wise, all-seeing, fun-loving nanny that we all know Mary is? Rebecca Luker was so solid on stage that she had 1000 times more "Mary" energy than Ashley did. I think Ashley is just way too young and inexperienced to be carrying a show like this.
Daniel Jenkins is all over the place. He seemed more like an actor scared to death of the Broadway stage than the easily-flustered and anal character of Mr. Banks. There was really no reason why Mrs. Banks should have felt any warmth or love for him at all -- and poor Rebecca Luker was left to manufacture the relationship all on her own.
The Banks children (Katherine Leigh Dougherty and Matthew Gumley) just shouted all their lines for the entire show and never made eye contact with the other actor they were speaking with. I wanted to shoot them 30 seconds into Act I and it never got any better.
Everything moved SO fast -- especially at the beginning of Act I -- that the story felt really rushed. There wasn't time for the actors to forge emotional connections with each other or the audience. Maybe I'm mistaken for expecting to walk out of Mary Poppins feeling something -- or even having learned something -- but this show felt to me like a spectacle with no foundation. Like icing with no cake underneath.
I know that the "regular Joes" in the audience probably loved it, and because of that, this show will run for a very long time. I just wish that it deserved to.
