Mary Poppins vs. Mary Poppins—Walt Disney vs. 5th Avenue Theatre

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. In order to honor 60 years of this flawless film, the 5th Avenue theatre is putting up a production of this musical running from Nov. 22  to Dec. 26. Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Broadway Mary Poppins musical is approximately two hours and 40 minutes long, including one 20-minute intermission. For the lovers of the original film, let’s get on to the comparison between the movie and the musical play. 

The movie, of course, is a timeless classic with a safe space in the hearts of numerous children and adults, thanks to its elements of magic, music, dance, and laughter. But dare I say, this production was better than the film as every element of the film was captured, and even more was displayed.

The musical production by 5th Avenue Theatre was nothing short of the movie brought to life, worth every tuppence. The play started with the live orchestra in its absolute perfection. Numerous gasps could be heard from the audience within the first 10 minutes of the play, with the thrilling means of introduction they opted for.

The sets were nothing short of perfection, down to the minute details like vases and flowers. The audience screaming “Aww!” upon the mere sight of the puppy and the children, summed up what was on everyone’s minds. Another “wow” moment came when the torn letter flew up the chimney and Mary flew in, appearing almost immediately on stage, like it was a pre-shot film and not a live production.

There were changes from the original story, such as adding fun new characters that proved vital to the story, and even a few small changes to the original storyline—which, honestly, made it better. With that being said, the characters were a spitting image of the film,  from their accents to their costumes. The musical added small elements of humor and, in numerous ways, explored the characters of Mary Poppins in a new light.

The production offered an in-depth look at all characters, which I feel is an opportunity the film missed out on but the Broadway production developed beautifully. The characters  Mr. and Mrs. Banks were explored with details like the children exclaiming “poor daddy!”—a side of their lives that was slightly revealed in the films became much bigger in this production, afterall the bigger the better. The play brought so much depth to the characters, revealing the reason for the disconnect in that family.

Another highlight in the production was the classic scene of things coming out of Mary’s bag, which was done so well that one would not be able to figure out how they managed to pull that off without a green screen. The most shocking thing that came out of the bag, other than the plant, mirror, and hat stand, was the bed sheet that soon became a sturdy bed.

Returning to the well-made sets, the transitions were so smooth and brilliant that a thought left in everyone’s minds was, “How did they fit all that back there?!” as exclaimed by actor Jonathan Royse, who has been on the 5th Ave theater stage.

The choreography for all songs was amazing, but two performances that truly stood out were “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Step in Time.” The fun word play in “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and the tap dancing in “Step in Time” were nothing short of stunners. 

The casting was top-notch, from leads to the ensemble members. The choreographers and directors truly played into the strengths of the cast members, right from the splits to the pirouettes. Thanks to such wise choices one simply could not take their eyes off the stage. It often felt like the two eyes were not enough–I wanted to see every actor, dancer and set piece on stage thought of so precisely. 

Mary Poppins is usually a children’s favourite. Logan Greiert, a member of  the audience stated, “It is hard for me to explain everything I like about it, it is just very amazing. I can’t wait to see how it goes.”

The standard of 5th Avenue theater is simply unmatched. They even decorated the hall and gave it a Mary Poppins and Christmas vibe. Every production here is unpredictable and somehow seems to be better than the previous one.

After the performance, Jonathon Royce, an actor who has been with 5th Ave shows, said “It was absolutely magical, the sets changing blew my mind, the designers did so well on the costumes, both of them were phenomenal and the child actors were magnificent. I am now officially a Mary Poppins fan. Watching the people who I know to be amazing from the audience just makes it so surreal for me.”

One word for this production was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Closer to the end of the production, I could see myself never wanting it to end. It is impossible to find fault in this truly well done production. The musical ended with a well deserved standing ovation to the happy family and all the cast members. To quote the production saying goodbye, “Goodnight, governor, step in time,” and “Au revoir.”