'Mary Poppins' @ Barnes & Noble TOMORROW!!!

[broadwaystud23]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 9:16pm

Ashley Brown, who stars in the title role of Broadway's classic musical, Mary Poppins and author Michael Lassell who wrote the new book "Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It," will appear at the Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center store at 1972 Broadway (at 66th Street) as part of Barnes & Noble's "Live at Lincoln" series on Friday, March 7 from 4-6PM to celebrate the release of Lassell's new book Mary "Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It."

Ashley will sing one of the most beloved songs in the hit musical, "Feed The Birds," and she and Lassell will discuss the creation of the book.



Everyone should come! It will be fun!

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 11:27pm

Sounds like a great time!

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 12:14am

The book's been out for at least a month though...

[winston89]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 9:40pm

It's not uncommon for Barns and Nobel to do things like this even though the book etc has been out for a bit of time.


I was there this afternoon. Very interesting and fun. Speaking of events that they are having despite the fact that the products have been out for a while. They are having Laura Bell Bundy sign and discuss and perform a song from her CD. And they are having the cast of Forbidden Broadway Rude Awakening there in a couple of weeks as well.

In any event, as I was saying it was a very fun and interesting event. There were some good questions asked about the making of the show. How it differed from London and P.L Traver's view on the movie.

Ashley gave a wonderful solo rendition of Feed The Birds with a slight key change to show her soft soprano.

The author of the book (blanking on his name) had said that P.L. Travers had fabricated so much about her life that even her views on the movie weren't so clear. I had asked about some of the changes of the show between the London production and the Broadway one. They had said that the stage and fly space of the Prince Of Wales is smaller compared to that of the New Amsterdam. So, that some of the changes that were seen in the Broadway production were ones that they wanted to originally put in the London production but couldn't due to lack of fly space etc. Some of the examples of this is Jolly Holiday. That the "Technicolor" version of it was one that they originally wanted to do in London. But, due to lack of fly space to hold the color parts of the set they kept it in the dark dank park. And that Crowley wanted the characters to interact with something in that scene just like in the movie they are interacting with the animation. So, he put the statues in.

I also asked about Temper Temper. He had said that really the only thing that has changed was that they had the use of the trap door which was something that they didn't have in the London production. And Brown said that they added more stuffed animal characters in it. But, otherwise it was mostly the same number.

Another interesting tid bit that I learned was that yes it was half book half movie but mostly on the book side of things in terms of plot. Yet, the bit involving the parents and George Banks at the Bank was all new and just for this version of the story.

Also, Ashley was speaking about the infamous preview where the house fell off its track and thus they had to send the audience home. She had said that the same night in the London production. The same exact thing happened. She joked that it must have been P.L. Traver's birthday.

And lastly, there was the cutest thing I had seen. There was a kid around five or so who wanted to ask Ashley a question. So Ashley put her up on her lap and let her use the mic and she sat there for the rest of the Q&A. Ashley is very sweet and nice.

Though I do wonder if she remembers frequent visitors. I have seen the show a few times and stagedoor every time. Funny part is is that no one in the cast of Poppins realizes that there are frequent flyers there nor do they say something. This is the first and only show I have been to where this is the case. I got Brown's autograph for my playbill this passed wednesday afernoon and then at the signing I got her to sign my cast recording and she didn't say anything. Not, that I care I just find it interesting is all.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 10:00pm

Why did she sing a song that she doesn't sing in the show?

[winston89]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 10:22pm

I personally don't know. Nor did they say. I did read somewhere in a press release for the even that said that she was singing feed the birds.

I think that she sang it because it is a well known song that is both in the movie and the show. And if people didn't see the show yet they would still know the song.

Also, for other numbers like Spoonful of Sugar or Practically Perfect they involve other members of the cast. Feed The Birds is a nice lovely song that she could do on her own. And did a lovely rendition of it.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 11:04pm

That actually makes perfect sense. Now that I think about it, Mary Poppins doesn't have any songs that she sings entirely by herself.