From Books to Broadway: Mary Poppins

This week, I am planning many posts on my time in New York for BEA.  I will be posting about the YA Teen Carnival, Dinner with Beth Hoffman, The Expo itself, Harper Collins Party and dinner following with Bloggers, The tour of Greenwich Village, lunch with Adriana Trigiani, The Harry Potter Exhibit, and this, seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway.

Now – Mary Poppins was actually the last thing we did in New York this past week.  It was Friday evening and I was hanging with Reagan from Miss Remmers Reviews and Cass from Bon Jour Cass.   They wanted to do something “New Yorky” for our final evening in the big city, I just wanted to go out to eat.  😛

When they came up with the idea of Mary Poppins, it sounded interesting but I was tired and calculating when we would get back… we still had to pack… our flight left at 6:45 am….  (I know… I know… what a pain right? :razz:)  I knew they were right to do something awesome, but really… Mary Poppins?  Really?

Oh.  Ok…..

So off we went stopping for delicious buffalo chicken sandwiches and spaghetti on our way to the show.  Once seated and the curtain was drawn….

I was never the same.

Ashley Brown makes a wonderful Mary Poppins.  I can not even begin to do her justice.  Her voice, her moves, if ever there was a Mary Poppins – she is her. 

I’m practically perfect in every way

practically perfect that’s my forte

uncanny nannies are hard to find

unique yet meek unspeakably kind

I’m practically perfect not slightly soiled

running like an engine that’s just been freshly oiled!

The special effects are phenomenal – props appear from within a seemingly empty travel bag and a bed appears under a sheet…. when Gavin Lee as Bert walks up the stage wall across the tops and down the other side – the audience goes wild!  I imagine children are astounded and will not soon forget the magic of Mary Poppins …. shoot, neither will I.

I think one of the key moments for me was when they sand supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  The song, the dancers, was so good!  See for yourself:

I told Reagan and Cass later that I could study that dance for the rest of my life and not be able to do it!

AND how about the kids?  Their roles are huge, I found it fascinating that there are actually three sets of kids who perform these songs and dances.  What big roles!  Hear from them yourself:

I loved the witch, errr….. the other nanny, Miss Andrew, Mr. Banks’ nanny who he had as a child.  *gulp*  If this actress does not play roles as a witch she certainly should… she was AWESOME!

Overall… I LOVED IT!  How could you not.  I think I had forgotten the story behind Mary Poppins.  Deeply buried no doubt in childhood memories, entwined in stories long since abandoned in the depths of the files in my brain.  It was nice to take these memories out for a refresher. 

BEA is more than books… it is for me, a taste of New York and each time I go I bask in what I can experience this time.

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend you go and see this visual treat.  You will thank me.