The Winds are Changing in the WestEnd
Friday, June 1st, 2007According to Playbill the original production of the stage musical version of Mary Poppins in London’s WestEnd has posted a closing notice. According to Playbill (a reliable, professional notice in this regard) Mary Poppins will fly into the WestEnd for the final time on January 12, 2008. The co-production of Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical featuring the world famous songs by the Sherman Brothers but much closer to the original stories by P.L. Travers than the classic Walt Disney feature opened in the Price Edward Theatre on December 15, 2004 which would mean a run of a bit more than three years. While such run would have to be called more than respectable for any show in the WestEnd it can be called doubtful whether the show really satisfied the expectation of the producers. Afterall The Lion King is still filling the Lyceum in the WestEnd long past the three year mark - even so fans had not to wait decades for that show to premier and it was at the time of its premiere not yet a story dear to children of several generations. But looking back it seems that the show suffered a classical problem of shows targeting families: problems to fill the 1,600 seats of the huge Prince Edwards Theatre during the week, when children are not taken out for the night by their parents.
