Just a Spoonful of Sugar! Mary Poppins on Broadway

I am a theatre junkie. Growing up, I was heavily involved in my high school’s thespian group {it was actually the cool thing to do, even cooler than football or cheerleading.} I’ve performed in dozen of shows and credit them as helping me come out of my shell. On our group’s annual trip to NYC, we would pick a couple of shows to see together. There is probably nothing worse for other patrons of the theatre than to see a show with a bunch of high school thespians who know every single word to every song in the show.

Although I’ve attended several broadway shows growing up, I’m embarrassed to say that in my year and a half of living in the city, I had not attended a broadway show until recently. It was something that I did almost every time I came up to visit for a vacation, but when you live here, you tend to stay away from the more tourist related events.

I couldn’t have picked a better show to attend as my “first broadway show as a New Yorker.” We’ve all seen the movie growing up and secretly wished that we had a nanny just as magical as she was. Mary Poppins captured my heart as a child with her song “A Spoonful of Sugar” and her magical umbrella. The broadway shows brings one of my favorite childhood movies to life, with a flying Mary Poppins and all.

Steffanie Leigh, who plays the role of Mary Poppins, embodies the magical spirit of Mary on stage as she comes into the Banks’ home to take care of Jane and Michael Banks. Although this is Steffanie’s broadway debut, the energy and enthusiasm that she exhibits on stage would make you think that she has been doing this for ages. She was truly made to play the role of Mary Poppins.

One of my favorite roles in the movie is the one of the Bert, the jack-of-all trades, and long time friend of Mary. Gavin Lee has taken on the role of this lovable and flamboyant character. The chemistry that him and Leigh share on stage is magnetic. One of my favorite numbers performed by Lee is “Step in Time.” The climax of the performance is when Bert walks upside down on the arch over the stage, all while singing and dancing!

By far, my favorite song in the show is “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Performed by Mary, Bert, the Banks children and a wonderful ensemble cast, this song was the highlight of the show. The upbeat music to a word that is difficult to say and even that much more difficult to spell, was enough to make anyone smile. The choreography to this song was incredible as they put a gesture to each letter of the word. The song gets faster and faster as they spell it out, yet the cast still manages to make the gestures in sync and look amazing.

If the show wasn’t enough to boast about, it is performed in one of the oldest surviving theaters on Broadway, the New Amsterdam Theatre. The theatre, which sits on 42nd street and Broadway, was first home to Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream, which opened on Nov 2, 1903.

I was lucky enough to get a backstage tour of the theatre and explore its rich history and beautiful arcitecture.

We were even invited into the costume and prop closet of present and past Disney Broadway shows, which gave us the opportunity to try on some of the fabulous costumes and see some of the amazing set pieces from Disney classics, including Mary Poppins.

To see a broadway show and then see what it takes to put on that show was truly an incredible experience.

If you are in New York City, Mary Poppins is a must have show on your list. Here’s a little sneak peek of the show, just to show you why.

To learn more about Mary Poppins on Broadway, please visit their website.

{Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I did receive complimentary tickets for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.}