Mary Poppins is a musical with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. The musical is based on the similarly titled Mary Poppins children's books by P. Travers and the Disney filmand is a fusion of various elements from the two, including songs from the film.
A Broadway production with a near-identical creative team opened in Novemberwith only minor changes from the West End version. The original Broadway production closed in Marchafter 2, performances. Touring and international productions followed.
The musical has become a popular choice for schools and community theatres to produce. Intheatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh met P. Travers and acquired the rights to develop a stage play adaptation of her Mary Poppins books.
She only agreed to a stage production as long as the creators were all English, and no one who had worked on the Disney film adaptation. She died in InMackintosh and Thomas Schumacherhead of Disney Theatrical Productionsopened talks on a possible collaboration, so that the stage play would be able to use the songs from the Disney film.
With both sides committed, a preliminary outline of the show was written in Around this time, songwriters George Stiles and Anthony Drewe heard about the project, and independently wrote a demo version of a new introductory song for the character of Mary, titled "Practically Perfect".
They submitted the song to Mackintosh, and due to his positive response, were officially brought on to the creative team. Julian Fellowes was brought on to write the show's script because of his "clear understanding of the social niceties of the English class system that prevailed in the Edwardian era ".
An experienced production team was assembled, including Sir Richard Eyremulti award-winning director of film, theatre and opera; and Bob Crowleya theatre designer who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Companythe National Theatrethe Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera.
Crowley also has six Tony Awards for various Broadway productions. A workshop of the show was held at the end of at the rehearsal room at London's Old Vic Theatreusing the cast of My Fair Ladywhich had just closed in the West End. Cameron Mackintosh 's stage adaptation of Mary Poppins had its world premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome starting with previews from September 15,before officially opening on September 18 for a limited engagement until November 6.
The production then moved to the Prince Edward Theatre on December 15,making it the only Disney musical to have premiered in the UK. The show sparked mild controversy not long after its debut when producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher banned children below three years old from entering the theatre, deeming the show too scary for young children.
The show was officially tagged as being "for children seven years and up". On March 17,Julie Andrewswho played Mary Poppins in the filmvisited the show as a guest. She appeared onstage during the curtain calls, where she gave a speech recalling her own memories from making the film and praising the mary poppins mest kända låt for their new interpretation.
Following the success of the West End production, a Broadway production debuted on November 16,at the New Amsterdam Theatre after previews from October Christian Borle joined the cast the same day as Bert.