Merry "Poppins"

So, tonight I saw Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway. I was expecting it to be fun and forgettable, but boy was it supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Besides for having such a lovely story with such upstanding moral values to present (respect the poor, make time for your children, understand your parents' hardships), the cast was wonderful, led by Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins and Gavin Lee (from the original London cast) as Bert.

The choreography, by Matthew Bourne, was breathtaking! I typically don't take much note of the dancing within a show, but it was simply magnificent. When someone was dancing, you simply couldn't take your eyes off of them. There were also a lot of wonderful special effects moments (dancing upside-down, a giant umbrella, plenty of flying, etc.). I have to say this is one of the first musicals I've seen in a while (along with Wicked) where I could really see where all the money had gone.

There were so many great moments and people, it's hard to mention them all. "Step in Time," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and "Feed the Birds" were probably my favorite moments in the show. Cass Morgan, who played Bird Woman really did the role justice. That's pretty much always been my favorite moment in the movie and my favorite song, and it was really done very well on stage. The two child performers who played Jane and Michael were Kathryn Faughnan and Henry Hodges at the performance I saw, and they were extraordinarily talented and charistmatic. It's hard to believe kids at their ages can keep up with the intricate dances of the rest of the cast, but they can.

The design of the show was also very cool, and the sets moved pretty seamlessly on and off and up and down and in and out. The lighting always did a good job setting the scene and providing a mood for the scenes. Costumes were lovely and well done.

Anyway, it was a lovely show, and the entire audience (mainly made up of kids and gays) seemed to respond positively. I have such bitter feelings towards overly commercial overblown shows, but this one just seemed overblown in all the right places and had a heart to boot! I'm sure Mary Poppins will be running on Broadway still ten years down the line or longer, but it's definitely worth checking out.