‘Mary Poppins’ arrives in Tampa with a spoonful of Disney magic
From the pages of the P.L. Travers’ children’s books Mary Poppins was brought to life in the famous Disney film starring Julie Andrews as the stern yet gleeful nanny. Now audiences can experience the music and magic in the Mary Poppins Broadway Musical currently playing at Tampa’s Straz Center.
Madeline Trumble as Mary and Con O’Shea-Creal as Bert in the touring production of the musical “Mary Poppins. PHOTO BY JEREMY DANIEL/PROVIDED BY STRAZ CENTER
This Broadway version of “Mary Poppins” has earned over forty theater awards, delivering a colorful, flashy and energetic adaptation, leaving the audience singing along with their favorites “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Jolly Holiday” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
Madeline Trumble makes amazing entrances as the stage magic brings Mary’s powers to life and Bert, played by Con O’Shea-Creal, stole every scene and amazed the crowd with acrobatic flair as he lead the song “Step in Time.”
Bursting with radiant colors, the dance numbers dazzle as Matthew Bourne’s choreography is the highlight of the show.
The stage production deviates slightly from the Disney film to be more aligned with the Travers book, exploring the background of Mr. Banks.
Parents shouldn’t shy away. The message of family, the purpose of Mary Poppins and of course, a “Spoonful of Sugar” are the backbone of this production.
Mrs. Brill (Tregoney Shepherd) and Robertson Ay (Blake Segal) brilliantly insert levity to engage the younger audience (well, maybe the adults primarily) as the lengthy play transitions between musical numbers.
Karen Murphy stunned the crowd as the Bird Woman during “Feed the Birds” and proved to be a great foil for Mary Poppins as the cruel nanny, Miss Andrew.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wed., 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sun. Tickets start at $25. For information: (800) 955-1045; strazcenter.org.
“Mary Poppins” plays in Tampa from thru December 30 at the Straz Center, get tickets here.
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must be Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious !