When trying to express myself, it’s frankly quite absurd. But when I hear the sound of it, I quite believe I’ve hit upon a most appealing word. That is why I must inform you just in case you did not know: Broadway’s “Mary Poppins” is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious show!
I’ll bet I’m not the only fellow of a certain age who suddenly felt 6 again, thanks to Disney’s theatrical treatment of the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews, at the Fox Theatre through May 16.
It’s a special gift to share this “Mary Poppins” with hundreds of giddy kids — to watch them spellbound by the spritely, high-energy choreography of Matthew Bourne; the ravishing visual eye-candy of favorite Disney designer Bob Crowley; and, most especially, the original, hum-hummable songs of the Sherman Brothers. Not to mention the ceiling-bumping tricks of one quirky, wind-blown nanny (Caroline Sheen) and her vagabond chimney sweep sidekick, Bert (the excellent Gavin Lee, from the original West End and Broadway companies).
Easily the best product to emerge from Disney Theatrical Group since “The Lion King,” “Mary Poppins” is a wonderfully infectious experience that brings Cherry Tree Lane to Peachtree Street. Co-directed by Bourne and Richard Eyre, with new musical material by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe and a book by Julian Fellowes, the frothy, fantastic tale goes down like a spoonful of sugar. It also affirms the literary merits of P.L. Travers, who wrote with an almost perversely ironic flair while toying with some of the same ideas that filter through “Peter Pan,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Nutcracker” and, as re-imagined here, “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Willy Wonka.”
Just as her like-minded Victorian predecessors J.M. Barrie and Lewis Carroll, Travers makes a peculiar case against the primness of adult behavior. Queen Victoria even has a cameo appearance, as does the old battle-ax nanny of the uptight Mr. Banks. (Both domineering females are played to the hilt by Ellen Harvey.)
Since I didn’t see "Mary Poppins" on Broadway, I can’t say if the touring production is scaled back. But I can’t imagine that the New York version could possibly be more complicated than this, what with Crowley’s cleverly designed London town home, which functions as an elegant rolling cupboard that opens to reveal the downstairs quarters of the Banks home and an attic-like structure that’s rolled down via cable to serve as the children’s upstairs bedroom. No wonder there was an opening night “computer glitch” that stalled the action for several minutes. Happily, the problem was solved, and the play whizzed by without complication.
On the performance side, Sheen plays the quirky title role with an air of briskness that barely conceals a half-cocked grin. (In her brunette wig, she even looks a little like Travers.) Laird Mackintosh is quite good as the frustrated George Banks, while Blythe Wilson, as his wife, Winifred, is a figure of regal elegance. At Friday’s official opening, Bryce Baldwin and Bailey Grey, child actors who rotate the parts of Michael and Jane with Carter Thomas and Kelsey Fowler, displayed considerable poise and polish.
But it’s Lee’s super-nimble physicality and non-stop tomfoolery that make the show such a charmer. “Mary Poppins” is first-class family entertainment that hits all the right notes – “in the most delightful way.”
Theater review
“Mary Poppins”
Grade: B+
Through May 16. $19.50-$127. Presented by Broadway Across America-Atlanta. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Midtown. 1-800-982-2787, ticketmaster.com
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