What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...
What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...
Featured Actor Joined: 11/5/06
What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#1
Posted: 12/26/06 at 12:34am
Its pretty obvious that I am a Poppaholic or whatever you want to call the few who happen to like this extremely likeable show...
Anywho, to those who have seen it/care... What do we think Mary is? Gavin Lee says on both Theatre.com and his Broadway.com interviews that they discussed this at the beginning or workshop or whatever for both the West End and the Broadway productions.
So what is she? Angel? Witch? Spirit? Some other spiritual being?
I have yet to read the books, but the opinion of anyone who has is gladly welcome.
And as a sidenote: do we think Bert has 'powers' or whatever too? Or does he just have some tricks up his sleeve?
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#2
Posted: 12/26/06 at 12:40amShe is Disney's Bitch.
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
Featured Actor Joined: 11/5/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#2
Posted: 12/26/06 at 12:48amAnd you're rainbows, puppies and sunshine. Clearly.
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#3
Posted: 12/26/06 at 12:50am
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#4
Posted: 12/26/06 at 1:19amI vote Disneybitch too.
--http://www.benjaminadgate.com/
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#5
Posted: 12/26/06 at 1:40amSame here. Disney's bitch all the way. She was a ferocious creature raised in the wild, but discovered by Walt Disney, who blessed her with a sweet sing-song voice in return for a life of servitude.
Featured Actor Joined: 11/5/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#7
Posted: 12/26/06 at 2:05am
Wow. I expected some possible backlash, but I also expected some actual conversation.
Way to prove that most of the bittered crew of BWW are nothing more than adults who sit at computers and act like middle-schoolers.
Stand-by Joined: 3/22/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#8
Posted: 12/26/06 at 2:19amI think she's just an incredibly ethereal being, although part of the magic about her is that it's impossible to know whether she really exists or not.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/16/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#9
Posted: 12/26/06 at 2:20am
Mary Poppins is just a loving woman, who teaches the Banks children about the world and more importantly, the people in it, and the supernatural events are seen through the children's eyes.
The park scene (Jolly Holiday) is about using your imagination
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is about language and using it to your best advantage (all words were made up at one point), and it's also whimsical, of course.
She's helping the children develop a moral center, which is why Temper, Temper is so important, the children are creating the magic there, but it's really their conscience that they are wrestling with in that scene, but it manifests itself in a Poppinsesque way (read: magical) because that's how the children see Mary as presenting these ideas.
Only the most important lesson is told without magic (feed the birds), the lesson about treating people fairly and not judging them, its a lesson that all the characters learn in the course of the piece.
Its a modern (relatively) fairy tale.
And if you don't buy that, it's just a story. She is neither a witch nor a ghost, speculating on that is missing the point and it doesn't matter one way or another.
I too think the musical is truly a special one, and Disney aside, were it made by anyone else (in this incarnation) more people would be flocking to its virtues, but many people equate Disney with fluff and the bucks, which I used to as well (I hate Lion King) but this one is based on a good story and has good music (even the new music).
I saw it planning on hating it, but I adore it. It has a good message and I applaud it.
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl
Featured Actor Joined: 11/5/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#10
Posted: 12/26/06 at 2:42am
I think Poppins is more... From excerpts I have read from the books there are parts where she DOES speak with birds, and birds speak back citing
"Mary Poppins' hand lay quietly on the side of the cradle. She had stopped rocking.
'A long journey, indeed!' said the Starling softly, lifting his head from his breast. 'And, ah, so soon forgotten!'
Annabel stirred under the quilt.
'No!' she said confidently. 'I'll never forget.'
'Stuff and Nonsense! Beaks and Claws! Of course you will. By the time the week's out your won't remember a word of it -- what you are or where you came from!'
Inside her flannel petticoat Annabel was kicking furiously.
'I will! I will! How could I forget?'
'Because they all do!' jeered the Starling harshly. 'Every silly human, except' -- he nodded his head at Mary Poppins -- 'her!'"
Annabel is another Banks child not mentioned in the movie/musical. The way the birds speak it almost makes me think of a 'Peter Pan' not growing up type of thing, but that can't be it.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/16/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#11
Posted: 12/26/06 at 2:48am
Again, i think you're trying to read too much into it.
And of course, out of context, those quotes are meaningless.
Even if those do point to those things, its easily explained as the story is being told for children, through the eyes of children even if the books do have a third person narrator and especially if it's an omniscient voice, and so these things act as metaphors.
What's more important is the message.
"Fenchurch is correct, as usual." - muscle23ftl
Featured Actor Joined: 11/5/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#12
Posted: 12/26/06 at 2:58am
I will agree the message is important.
I left the theatre bawling.
Though I have a great family life and whatnot, and I realize that the Banks family is really part of the main plot, I really focused on Mary most of the time. I just think she has a fascinating character, and as a performer, I enjoy thinking on backstories and character development.
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#13
Posted: 12/26/06 at 3:13amWhy don't you just read the books and come up with your own theory. I think she is different to everyone, so you should just form your own opinion about what she is, and stop relying on other people to answer the question for you.
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#14
Posted: 12/26/06 at 3:21am
"Wow. I expected some possible backlash, but I also expected some actual conversation.
Way to prove that most of the bittered crew of BWW are nothing more than adults who sit at computers and act like middle-schoolers."
Nobody's bitter here. Are we not allowed to just poke some fun at the idea of who Mary Poppins really is?
Featured Actor Joined: 11/5/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#15
Posted: 12/26/06 at 3:22am
I KNOW how I feel about her, without the books. I just like the idea of discussing it, and hearing what others think. Simmer down.
P.S. Way to post something angry towards me and not post your opinion on what you feel she is. For being so opinionated towards what I should think, you certainly don't seem to care about the topic.
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Featured Actor Joined: 7/18/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#16
Posted: 12/26/06 at 3:29amI really don't understand one thing...Why oh Why is everyone sooo against Disney?? I love Disney, and I love Mary Poppins.
Featured Actor Joined: 11/5/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#17
Posted: 12/26/06 at 3:42am
thank you to pandajen, fenchurch, and zerodanny...
"Same here. Disney's bitch all the way. She was a ferocious creature raised in the wild, but discovered by Walt Disney, who blessed her with a sweet sing-song voice in return for a life of servitude."
And yes, that does sound bitter and sarcastic.
You are certainly allowed, but why mess with someones thread who is asking a thought-provoking question. If it were something fangirly and WICKED/RENT related, from someone who created their account just to try and find Idina on BWW, I might understand.
Untill BWW.com's message boards I hadn't met a truly unnapreciative 'theatre crew'. Thanks guys, thanks for taking something that is supposed to be a supportive, growing art form and doing your part to help make it less appreciated. While we are at it why dont we take a section of Broadways theatres and replace them with another football field/baseball diamond/tennis court. That way I would have a reason to be bitter and cynical towards everything too.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/05
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#19
Posted: 12/26/06 at 8:33am
Fenchurch - thank you. Someone else who hated "The Lion King." I thought I was the only one in the world!
I'm seeing Poppins on January 10.
Anything Can Happen: I would read the books. They are magical in their own way, all of them are great reads.
As for bashing Disney, success of that magnitude always breeds contempt. Especially when the product is as ersatz and blatantly commercial as what Disney churns out. And considering Disney's history of terrific creativity, the current crop of crap they produce (Mary Poppins notwithstanding - I haven't seen it yet so I'm not personally including it as part of this comment) is doubly disappointing.
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#20
Posted: 12/26/06 at 8:57am
I saw the movie when it first came out (yes, I am THAT old) and was enchanted. Mary Poppins was what every child wanted in a parent (middle-class kids like us didn't have nannies). She was pretty, fun, did magic, had great friends, and could sing beautifully. I begged my parents to take me back to see the movie again and again (no VCRs or DVDs), and played the grooves off the record.
Unfortunately, in the play she became an uptight, prissy scold who is not very much fun at all. In one scene, she's more concerned about getting her night off than helping the children through a rough time. Unlike the millions of us children who sat entranced through the entire movie over and over again, many of the children in the audience, both when I saw it in NY and London, were fidgety, sleepy, or, in the case of 'Temper, Temper', quite scared.
Personally, I'd much rather have been raised by Mame Dennis than the stage version of Mary Poppins.
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#21
Posted: 12/26/06 at 9:06ami would tend to agree that Mary Poppins is just meant to be an ordinary woman who sees things in an amazing way and teaches the children to do the same.
Broadway Star Joined: 10/14/06
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/14/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#23
Posted: 12/26/06 at 1:18pmWait, I always thought that Lindsay Lohan was Disney's bitch...
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/19/06
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/1/06
re: What IS Mary Poppins? Discuss...#25
Posted: 12/27/06 at 12:40am
If you read the books, I think you will find that Mary Poppins is not a sweet person or an angel. She is a voice of common sense and conscience. Her magical powers are used to teach, not to fix problems or correct situations. And she can be quite harsh - not at all the "spoon full of sugar" from the mind of Disney.
An earlier post asked why people are so negative about Disney. Disney is the Wal-Mart of Broadway, dearie - pretty soon there will be no more Mom and Pop entertainment, just little parts of great big homogenized entertainment vendors. Not healthy for a future generation of creative artists...
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