Mary Poppins - Manchester Tickets

Mary Poppins lands at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on Oxford Road in December 2008, following a successful run at London’s West End. Remember the delightful 1964 film with Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews? Then this is a must see for you and a great way of introducing a new generation to the wonders of Mary Poppins. Manchester is only one of four British venues outside of London to host the event, which also includes Edinburgh and Cardiff. It has been declared the theatrical event of 2008!

The Mary Poppins phenomenon has been given a new lease of life with the new musical based on Disney’s original feature film. Cameron Mackintosh managed to acquire the stage rights to the Mary Poppins story after a struggle of 25 years and the production is clearly in safe hands, with Sir Cameron being a world renowned and influential producer with solid theatrical productions. It was inevitable then, that he would acquire the rights, and in 1993, after a meeting with Mary Poppins’ creator Pamela Travers, a deal was made. As a result, the new Musical is presented by Disney in association with Cameron Mackintosh Ltd, as a joint venture. The new creation is a fusion of original character from Travers’ book and with features from the 1964 movie.

Fast forward to 2001, when the project gathered momentum as Tom Schumacher, Disney’s Theatrical Director, arrived in London to talk with Mackintosh and soon enough the show began to take shape.

The new show features familiar songs by The Sherman Brothers such as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Feed the Birds and Chim Chim Cher-ee, and also features new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe with brand new melodies and lyrics. So sit back and enjoy the classic tale of the British Nanny as she takes you on a charming tale full of songs and adventure.

Actress Lisa O’Hare plays Mary Poppins, the role made famous by Julie Andrews, with accomplished West End actor Daniel Crossley slipping into Dick Van Dyke’s work boots as Bert. Both actors are highly suited to the roles, O’Hare having played as Laura Michell’s understudy in the West End production, and Crossley took on the role of Bert from the get-go. The show will be staged from 11th December 2008 to 7th March 2009 after run at the Edinburgh Playhouse in the autumn, there will also follow a run in Cardiff after this.