Mary Poppins

This show has now closed, click here for a listing of current and future London shows

Musical closed 12 January 2008

Prince Edward Theatre Old Compton Street, London

"A Spoonful of Sensation" The London Evening Standard

Her carpet bag is packed, her umbrella is unfurled, and now at last the world's most famous nanny is about to alight on London's musical stage!

Is it Jane and Michael Banks who need a nanny? Or is it their parents, George and Winifred who actually need more looking after? Only one thing is certain - after Mary Poppins arrives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, with her no-nonsense approach to making the right choices in life, nothing will ever be the same again.

"Thank Heavens for this Magical Show" The Daily Mail

The witty, imaginative books, aglint with magic and many of the much-loved Sherman Brothers songs from Walt Disney's Academy Award-winning motion picture, have been re-invented and created afresh by Acamedy Award-winning writer Julian Fellowes and Olivier Award-winning songwriters George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, who have also composed several terrific new songs to add to a score that already boasts more than a spoonful of sugar.

For one of the most eagerly awaited theatrical events for decades, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh have teamed up to produce Mary Poppins, bringing to life Pamela Travers' fantasic stories filled with eccentric and perceptive characters whose adventures have delighted every generation since they first appeared in the 1930's.

Some of the theatre's finest creative talents have been brought together to realise Mary Poppins on the stage. Richard Eyre, Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear will bring to life the most famous timeless and perfect nanny in an extraordinary and visually magical world created by Bob Crowley - a world where anything can happen if you let it!

Camillus Travers, PL Travers' son, said of the show: "I was dreading first night. As my mother's closest living relative - she died in 1996 - I felt the burden of responsibility. But I needn't have worried. From the first note of the superb score to Mary Poppins's dramatic departure at the end. I was entralled throughout the two-and-a-half show... My mother created a story that has given joy to so many people. That joy has been brought to life again with this fantastic show."

"Hailed by rave reviews and clamorous box-office demand, the future of Cameron Mackintosh and Disney's turbo-charged Mary Poppins is already assured. Perfectly positioned to become the Starbucks of family shows. creating an instantly recognisable brand out of a figure floating under an umbrella, this reimagining of the supernatural nanny and her antics is undoubtedly impressive. A whirlwind of illusion, song and dance, it makes a bold attempt to bring a sense of magic to the London stage, with the director, Richard Eyre, and co-director and choreographer, Matthew Bourne, deploying every weapon in their creative arsenal to ensure it leaves audiences awestruck." The Sunday Times

"A Joyous Spectacular" The Independent

"As one of several excellent songs added by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe insists, it's a place where Anything Can Happen, and that includes classical statues bursting into terrifying life, cuddly toys becoming colossal and creepy, and cheeky chidren becoming, miraculously, more thoughtful. There's another new song, Practically Perfect, which also says it all - or nearly. Practically speaking, Richard Eyre's show really is perfect, seamless and light years ahead of the film. So why didn't I and my children sing and dance out of the theatre on a wave of supercalifragilistic elation? The answer is simple. Having marvelled at the spectacular special effects and the stylish staging, there's too little to engage at narrative or emotional level... While everything will delight, nothing here will surprise anyone over seven or under 70." The Mail on Sunday

"There can be no disputing the success of Mary Poppins, at the Prince Edward. It is going to go on packing theatres, deservedly, for years to come. But there is room for disagreement as to what kind of success it is. If you were to believe the advance publicity, the great distinction of the stage version is that it is more serious than the film, that it brings out a darker and deeper side of the Poppins saga. And there is some truth in this, but only a bit. Mostly the new show seems to me a triumph of spectacle, theatrical flair and the shrewd engineering of audience responses." The Sunday Telegraph

"The sensationally inventive stage musical takes off like a rocket" The Sun

"Richard Eyre's sparkling production of Mary Poppins is the most surefire big musical hit since Chicago. Eyre and his confederates have hit this show with all barrels - fantasy, realism, darkness, exuberance. It gets to you: even if you go in doubting the need for it; even if the idea of singing chimney sweeps makes your flesh crawl and made-up superlatives act as emetics... Magical weirdness is supplied by the crucial choreography of Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear. From the beginning, there's a bounce in the action, from which thrilling setpieces swell up effortlessly." The Observer

Please Note: Mary Poppins is recommended for children 7 years and up. In the interests of other patrons, parents with children are reminded that they may be asked to remove any consistently noisy children. Children under 3 years of age will not be admitted to the theatre. Everyone attending Mary Poppins will be required to have their own ticket.