Rep's Mary Poppins not just a rehash of '64 film

There are plays that become movies and movies that become plays. One of the latter works has become the biggest undertaking in the long history of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

Mary Poppins -- the 1964 Disney film known for its airborne lead character and its songs "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Feed the Birds" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" -- will have its Rep premiere Friday night.

Nearly three decades elapsed before even the idea for the transition occurred, however. Based on P.L. Travers' series of children's books of the same name, Mary Poppins caught the eye and ear of noted producer Cameron Mackintosh (known for Les Miserables, Cats and Miss Saigon), who contacted Travers in 1993. Permission finally came and Mackintosh approached Disney in 2001 to acquire the rights to use the movie's music.

In 2004, the show -- officially known as Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins -- had its London premiere, with New York following in 2006, where it continued until 2013. American touring began in 2009.

Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman wrote the original music and lyrics that accompany the book by Julian Fellowes, with new music and additional lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

The setting is England in 1910, and George Banks, father to young children Jane and Michael, is in danger of losing his job. His free-spirited children have run off a succession of nannies, and decide to run their own ad to find one more to their liking. It turns out to be Mary Poppins, played by Elizabeth DeRosa (who has a couple of Mary Poppins productions on her resume).

"This show will be something people have not seen before," says Donna Drake, director of the Rep's production of the play. "It's a huge, technical piece of theater to do. A lot of engineering goes into it, of course, with people flying."

Drake, who teaches acting at Pace University in New York, has worked on shows with Betty White, the late Mickey Rooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and her Broadway credits include the original production of A Chorus Line.

As for Mary Poppins, "I saw the movie version when I was 6 years old, fell madly in love with the show and have wanted to direct it for quite a while," Drake says. "There are a few differences between the book, film and the play, which is a bit more focused on the children being naughty, and how their parents have a dysfunctional relationship.

"They didn't just take the movie and put it on stage. There were other books, and they've taken other characters from them and they wrote songs for them, so it's a nice surprise and not exactly what you expect."

The movie is based only on the first book.

"Mary Poppins was the very first movie I ever saw as a kid," says Tom Souhrada, who plays workaholic banker George Banks. "I fell in love with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and all of the singing and dancing. I used to force my sisters to do little backyard versions of the movie, and I'd be the stars and they'd be all of the supporting characters.

"The writer of the musical, Julian Fellowes, is also the writer of Downton Abbey, and he's expanded the story of the Banks family and made it a much richer and complex story. He knows this time period so well, but the story is still relevant to us today, with what's going on in the world economy today. Mary Poppins, this woman or an angel, comes into their lives and helps them find their goodness."

Souhrada, who was in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins in 2006 and the U.S. tour three years later, had been in the Rep's 1999 production of Nunsense Jamboree. He had a role in the play The Boyfriend, directed by Julie Andrews, who played Mary Poppins in the 1964 film.

"I did the national tour with her," he says. "That was an amazing experience, so this show has been this thread throughout my life."

Another pivotal character in the play is Bert, handled in the film by Dick Van Dyke.

"Bert is a sort of jack-of-all-trades, on the outside a lower class civilian who goes back and forth from narrating to jumping into the actual scenes," says Brian Letendre, who has been part of the Broadway production and the show's national tour. "There's a bit of magic to him and he brings some of the scenes to life, snapping his fingers at times.

"I think both he and Mary are there to help sort out this family that's in crisis, coming at it from different ends of the spectrum. Mary is very prim and proper and Bert is sort of rough-and-tumble around the edges."

The cast of 24 includes 10 with past experience at the Rep.

In addition to regular performances, there are several other Mary Poppins-ish events taking place:

• At noon today, the Rep's Producing Artistic Director Robert Hupp will host members of the cast and creative team for a panel discussion that looks at the largest production in the Rep's history. The discussion will be held at the Clinton School of Public Service in Sturgis Hall, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. To reserve seats, call (501) 683-5239 or email publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu

• At 6 p.m. March 12, there will be a "girls' night out," sponsored by Inviting Arkansas, featuring pre-show shopping with boutique E. Leigh's in the lobby. Tickets are not required.

• At 6 p.m. March 13, there will be live pre-show music from local musician Sam Clark in Foster's, the Rep's bar. Tickets are not required.

• At 7 p.m. March 16, the cast of Mary Poppins will present their musical favorites in cabaret style. Tickets are $35 or $50 for a couple, available by contacting Barbara Harpool at (501) 804-8916 or baharpool@comcast.net.

• The March 18 performance will be sign-interpreted by Raphael James of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He will be positioned in front of a new sign interpreter section. Deaf patrons are encouraged to contact the Rep box office to reserve seating.

• At 11 p.m. April 11, there will be an after-party, sponsored by Parker Lexus, with drinks and appearances by members of the cast in Foster's. Tickets are not required.

Weekend on 03/05/2015