The Winds are Changing in the WestEnd
According 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.
Still: if you haven’t seen the show I strongly recommend getting a ticket before it is too late. Yes, the show (in a slightly changed version) is currently playing on the Broadway (where it received 7 Tony nominations) and yes, the WestEnd version will (again according to Playbill) go on tour through the UK as well as further down the road to some international destinations. But with its huge sets and great effects (yes, Mary Poppins flies over the audience, yes, Bert tap dances on the proscenium) it is everything but an easy show to send on tour and rarely will a stop of the tour last long enough to allow the team to set up the effects as elaborate as currently in the WestEnd.
Sure there were quite a few critics and fans of the Walt Disney feature which complained about the huge differences between the light tone of the Walt Disney feature and the darker, more intensive stage version. But the later is a lot closer to the original books (even so I admit that the new “Temper, Temper” scene may scare very young children). Also for me the show stood out from the past Disney stage musicals Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King as well as Aida (I can’t say anything about the touring show “On the Record” since I never saw it) as it created traditional stage magic. Yes, Mary Poppins is flying (I did say that already, did I?), but everything is more “down to the earth”, there are no nifty puppets moved around by the cast, no sets that look hightech or elaborate sets and costumes that sugar over the magic created by the cast. Mary Poppins throws in some (rare) uh- and oh-effects but mostly is using good old stage tricks, the brilliance of the cast which is wowing the audience since the first night and a strong story (especially the later seems to get rarer and rarer among the big musicals).
In the end it is this old style magic that draws the audience into its realm with an ease that many high-tech shows never achieve, since all the puppets and tricks overshadow the story … which is the centerpiece here together with the already classic songs. Well - I think I made my point pretty obvious, even without writing a full fledged review (in which it certainly would be mentioned that the show also has some week moments such as the less than perfect set up of Walt Disney’s personal favorite song “Feed the Birds” that is not as moving as it should and could have been - but which show is free of one or two week moments).
To bring this to an end a final note to all who are ready to head out to the WestEnd now: the show is currently starring Scarlett Strallen in the title role and Gavin Creel as Bert. Gavin Creel is known not only to stage muscial fans due to his success on the Broadway but also to the audience of the Disney Channel where he starred as Bill in the two movies “Eloise at Christmastime” and “Eloise at the Plaza”.