Image from www.onlineticketsusa.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

If you liked the movie, you’ll love this show.

For the few not familiar with the show, it’s basically a Disney take on the Shakespeare play Hamlet.  It’s about a lion cub, Simba, who can’t wait to be king, which his uncle, Scar, isn’t looking forward to since he’s now second in line.   Scar then devises a plan to get rid of both his brother and nephew which doesn’t work out as planned.

I absolutely loved the opening number to this show.  I think it’s the best beginning of a show ever.  It helps bring the audience into the show, with the performers going up the aisles in the orchestra and hanging out in the mezzanine.  The other musical numbers were just as good, especially “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King”, and “Hakuna Matata”.

The set is quite minimal actually.  The stage has an a circular platform that comes up at certain points during the show.  There’s a sort of foil sun on the backdrop that changes according to the time of day.  The rest of the sets are mostly part of the performer’s costumes to indicate the plains, water and swamp.

One of the most impressive aspects of the show were the costumes.  I liked how the performers weren’t just dressed like the characters they were portraying.  Some had masks that rested on their heads that they manipulated like puppets when they spoke.  Others were looked almost exactly like the characters in the animated movie, yet when they spoke, the characters’ mouths moved.  It’s like an animated movie onstage.

I liked how most of the musical stayed true to the movie.  It’s familiar enough that you weren’t worried about what you’re seeing and a little different to make up for the fact that it’s being performed on a Broadway stage.  There were a few scenes that I wasn’t too sure about.  They were definitely not in the movie, though that wasn’t the reason that I didn’t like them.

I would recommend this show for kids and families with young kids, with a disclaimer that it’s a little scary for the younger set.  It’s also appropriate for adults to see by themselves, as it’s not only based on an animated movie but also on an adult play.  Of all the Disney shows on Broadway, I would highly recommend this one.

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes w/intermission

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