Postpone that sweets-free diet. A real "Spoonful of Sugar" has blown into Chicago on the East Wind, kicking off a national tour with a five-month-long stay (now extended through July 12). The original Broadway musical version of "Mary Poppins" stars Ashley Brown as the super-nanny of 17 Cherry Tree Lane and Gavin Lee (also the original Bert in London) as the chimney sweep/sidewalk artist and jack-of-all-trades. The two lead a capable cast of 40 that's "Practically Perfect in Every Way."
Between 1934 and 1991 author P.L. Travers published a series of eight children's books about the spit-spot governess, which were later adapted and Disneyfied into 1964's Oscar-winning Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke film classic. Cameron Mackintosh premiered his London theatrical production in 2004; it opened two years later on Broadway. Songs were both added and deleted, characters were changed and re-imagined and the whole tone of the show was darkened to keep it closer to Travers' original stories. Emphasis shifted to the children's naughty behavior within their dysfunctional Edwardian family and the ultimate life lessons learned through a medley of magical, musical adventures led by Mary Poppins.
Though darker, the show is no less enjoyable. The gymnastically signed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," already a mouthful, leaves you breathless by the end of its two encores. The frenetic "Step in Time," performed by Bert, Mary, the two Banks children and a retinue of chimney sweeps, leaps and taps across the rooftops of London and even up the walls and across the ceiling of the theater's proscenium arch.
Bursting with color, catchy tunes and impressive choreography, this "Jolly Holiday" with Mary and her friends serves as a great reminder of the joy that theater can bring to all ages.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
