Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

#1

Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 2:16pm

I know this has been discussed on this board before, but I forgot why LMK was not asked to do Mary Poppins on Broadway...I heard many conflicting stories, and was just wondering if any knew the truth?

Thanks!

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"Now the best way to learn the theater, always, is to be a stage manager" -Stephen Sondheim

#2

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 2:21pm

Because Disney often does not make the right choices when it comes to their theatrical "endeavours."

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"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

#3

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 2:28pm

Thanks...

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"Now the best way to learn the theater, always, is to be a stage manager" -Stephen Sondheim

#4

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 2:37pm

Thats not the real answer, I know...

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"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

#5

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 2:42pm

The rumors in London were that LMK wanted to leave the UK production and have some time off prior to taking the show to New York, but the producers wanted her to stay right up until rehearsels for Broadway began. She wasn't willing to do that, left the show there, and that's history.

It could have been (and most likely was) an Equity thing. I doubt we'll ever know for sure..

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Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.

#6

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 3:20pm

Also she was more interested in focusing on her new career as a pop singer/songwriter, which hasn't turned out to be particularly successful. So it might have been a wiser choice to stick with Poppins.

#7

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 3:31pm

She burned some bridges with Cameron Mackintosh. I'm sure there is more to it than just that, but I believe that is the short answer.

#8

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 5:54pm

Perhaps her utter lack of stage presence had something to do with it?

#9

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 6:03pm

I heard she had a falling-out with Mackintosh

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Keep your morals, I don't have time. Keep your lovers, I'm changing mine! -The Likes of Us

#10

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 6:04pm

What a bad person to burn bridges with (Mackinstosh)

#11

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 6:10pm

Thansk guys...stuff happens..that is life..just keep moving forward...that is what i say...

Jovan

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"Now the best way to learn the theater, always, is to be a stage manager" -Stephen Sondheim

#12

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 6:11pm

somethingwicked - it probably wasn't an Equity issue, because she was in Fiddler with no problem, and its not like she was the only actress capable of playing Hodel or something like that.

#13

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 6:13pm

Actually, she was incapable of playing Hodel. At least the night I saw it. In a production filled with problems, she was one of the biggest, imo.

#14

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 6:14pm

John, I was just going to say the same thing.

I thought she was HORRENDOUS.

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"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

#15

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 6:19pm

I've heard similar reviews about her, but I mostly meant that Equity wouldn't have bought the role as the reason she had to be in the show.

#16

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 8:07pm

Didn't she win the Oliver for it? I would think she was at least servicable. Or had no competition.

#17

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 9:03pm

I meant she was horrendous in FIDDLER. I didn't see POPPINS.

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"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

#18

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 9:23pm

Oh I know. (If you were referring to my post)

#19

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 9:28pm

I saw both, and I disliked her, in both. She really has no stage presence. None.

#20

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 9:45pm

Equity was probably not the issue. After all, the original Burt from London is coming to Broadway. It would hardly have been the first time Equity let actors from other countries perform on Broadway. I mean, c'mon, they let practically the entire cast of The History Boys come over

#21

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 10:18pm

Maybe she just didn't want to...?

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"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

#22

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/3/06 at 11:39pm

Aren't we getting Gavin Lee as Bert because London is getting Gavin Creel?

Equity rules stipulate there must be "exchanges" for these sorts of things to occur.

#23

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/4/06 at 12:07am

Hmmmm...I kind of thought it was because Disney owns Ashley Brown's soul.

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No one is alone.

#24

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/4/06 at 12:10am

Anyone know why they just didn't keep Creel in the U.S.? Perhaps he will join Mary Poppins someday when Lee decides to leave the U.S. production.

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"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

#25

re: Why was Laura Michelle Kelly not offered Mary Poppins...

Posted: 9/4/06 at 12:17am

My understanding was that Laura got into a bit of a squabble with Cameron Mackintosh, who then basically took the opportunity of coming with the show to the US away from her.

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"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde