Mary Poppins Manchester Tickets

It's a supercalifragilistic feast of fun and spectacle as Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins comes to a stage near you. Featuring timeless songs such as "Jolly Holiday," "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and the one on the tip of everyone's tongue, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," this is one musical not to miss. The West End and Broadway award-winning hit brings new life to the Mary Poppins canon via a script by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and additional music by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe to compliment the Sherman brothers' original Oscar-winning songs.

Plot

The story begins with Bert, a neighbourhood jack-of-all-trades, introducing us to Cherry Tree Lane where the Banks live with their two naughty children, Jane and Michael. A family in chaos that's lost its previous nanny, the Banks find salvation, seemingly, in the appearance of a new nanny, Mary Poppins. Mary takes charge of the two children, and in her magical ways, teaches them new lessons and a song or two. All is not well under the surface of the Banks household, however, and Act II begins with Mary departed, having left to teach the children another lesson. Their new nanny, Miss Andrew, is a terror from Mr. Banks' childhood, and it soon becomes apparent the origin of Mr. Banks' dysfunctions. Finally Mary returns, much to the happiness of the children, and much to the relief of the parents as they're about to learn Mary has one last lesson in love and understanding for them all.

Schedule

Mary Poppins Manchester tickets are available for a six-week run at the Palace Theatre as part of a full UK and Ireland tour. In addition to Manchester, Mary Poppins also has multi-week stops in Bristol, Dublin, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Southampton, Norwich, Plymouth and Newcastle.

Trivia

This stage adaptation differs a bit from the Julie Andrews film many are familiar with. Here we see some of the darker elements of the novels excised from the film, including Mr. Banks' emotional dysfunction and a sequence where Jane and Michael are tormented by their toys coming to life. This and other special effects sequences are the work of illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, who has also collaborated with David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy. Some of his most striking illusions involve Mary Poppins' bottomless carpet bag, an added dollhouse sequence, and of course her unforgettable flying umbrella.

Cast

Mary Poppins' cast is headed by Zizi Strallen as the title character. Her extensive credits include West End hits "Cats," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Dirty Dancing" and "Merrily We Roll Along." Matt Lee stars as Bert and won the Helpmann Award for previously playing the part in the hit Australian production. Rounding out the cast are Milo Twomey and Rebecca Lock as George and Winifred Banks, Wendy Ferguson as Mrs. Brill, Penelope Woodman as Miss Andrew, Blair Anderson as Robertson Ay and Grainne Renihan as the Bird Woman.

Original Author

The musical production of Mary Poppins is a hybrid adaptation, based on both the novels of P.L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film of the same title. The character of Mary Poppins first appeared in 1934 in the first of Travers' many novels featuring her. Travers published five Mary Poppins sequels, the last when she was 93, and tens of millions have sold worldwide. The author, however, disapproved of the 1964 film adaptation and refused to relinquish the stage rights for decades until Cameron Mackintosh personally met with her in 1994 and convinced her he could get it right. Ms. Travers consented and musical theatre history was made.

Producers

Mary Poppins is produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Walt Disney Studios. One of the most successful theatre producers of all time, Mackintosh has previously produced the smash musical hits "Cats," "Les Miserables" and "The Phantom of the Opera." Thomas Schumacher oversees the production from Disney Theatrical Productions, the division overseeing Disney's many stage musical successes.