|
Preview by Jack Foley
LAURA Michelle Kelly, who won widespread critical acclaim for
her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle, in My Fair Lady, will
follow in the footsteps of Julie Andrews, to take the title role
of Mary Poppins, when it opens in the West End prior to
Christmas.
The £8 million stage adaptation of Disney's musical classic,
co-produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Productions,
will first debut at Bristol's Hippodrome, from September 28 to
November 6, 2004, before transferring to the Prince Edward Theatre,
in the West End, on December 15 - 40 years after the film first
premiered.
The stage version of the children's favourite tale is based on
the stories of PL (Pamela) Travers and Walt Disney's 1964 Oscar-winning
film, which co-starred Dick Van Dyke, as London chimneysweep,
Bert.
However, while casting has yet to be announced for this role,
the appointment of Kelly completes a remarkable few years for
the talented actress, who is also set to make her Broadway debut,
soon, in the revival of Fiddler on the Roof.
Despite having no formal training, 22-year-old Kelly left school
at the age of 16 to join the cast of Disney’s Beauty and
the Beast, before progressing to other West End roles in high-profile
productions such as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle
Down the Wind, Les Miserables, and Mamma Mia!.
|
 |
Indeed, such was her rapid rise to fame, that she was reportedly
being chased by both Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber for their next
big ventures, and chose Mary Poppins over Lloyd Webber’s
The Woman in White.
Mackintosh and Disney’s Thomas Schumacher commented: "When
we started discussing the casting of Mary Poppins for the stage,
we dreamt of finding an actress who was on the brink of stardom,
but not yet associated by the public with a particular role, and
would be in her mid-twenties as envisaged by Pamela Travers.
"Julie Andrews was 27 when she so memorably created Mary
in the film. We are thrilled that Laura Michelle Kelly, who will
be 23 when Mary Poppins opens in London, has won the part
… and we feel sure that she will bring her own unique quality
to this extraordinary and much-loved role."
In what promises to be a truly lavish, if not spectacular affair,
the National Theatre's artistic director, Richard Eyre, will lend
a hand, with co-direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne and
additional choreography by Stephen Mear.
The production will be designed by Bob Crowley, with lighting
by Howard Harrison, sound by Andrew Bruce and Nick Lidster, and
orchestrations by William David Brohn.
Naturally, Mary Poppins will feature many of the celebrated
songs from the Sherman Brothers' Oscar-winning film score, including
Chim Chim Cher-ee and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,
as well as a few new songs.
Additional music and lyrics are being written by George Stiles
and Anthony Drewe.
Order
tickets now
|
