The Broadway Ferret

Image from Applause Tickets

Rating: 3 out of 5 masks

If you’re expecting the musical to mirror the movie starring Julie Andrews, you will be disappointed.  It is actually closer to the P. L. Travers book than the Disney movie.  Sort of like how Tim Burton’s version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was closer to the Raold Dahl book.

While I appreciate a backstory to whatever I’m seeing, I don’t think it works for this show.  The parents were featured more in the Broadway musical, even introducing a character to explain how Mr. Banks became who he is today.  For a musical named Mary Poppins, I expected to see more of the main character.

I really liked the musical numbers.  I was looking forward to how “Step In Time” would translate on stage and I was not disappointed.  I won’t give away how the song ends, but let’s just say you should not be sitting in the back of the orchestra and mezzanine levels.  I thought it was amusing that they added spelling for the song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.  It actually helps the audience know how to spell the word and hopefully inspires children to make up their own songs spelling words.

I thought that the sets were ok.  I wasn’t sure what to make of the bank set.  The set piece artwork had a “tunneling” effect (I’m not sure how to describe it) that made me feel somewhere between dizzy and feeling as though I might get sucked out of my seat.  The best set piece, in my opinion, is the Banks’ house.  My first thought when I saw it was “I want a house that looks like that”.  It was so detailed and looked like a real middle class home.  But the first set I saw, the outside of the Banks house, didn’t look impressive and it almost marred my opinion of the show.  On the other hand, I thought that the set for the musical number “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was too colorful.

I thought that Ashley Brown was ok as Mary Poppins.  She certainly looked and sounded the part.  If you close your eyes, you would almost believe that she was Julie Andrews.  I also thought that Gavin Lee as Bert was pretty good.  

I really liked this version of Mary Poppins.  I thought it reflected enough of the movie to satisfy those who think of the movie when they hear Mary Poppins but it’s not sugary sweet for parents who think they’ll need an insulin shot to even last through it.  Parents should be cautioned that while this is a Disney musical based on a beloved movie, it includes a scene not in the movie that may frighten children under 10.

Running time: 2hrs 40mins w/intermission