New version of Mary Poppins endearing musical flies into North Charleston

Australian writer P.L. Travers' original tales best embody the charm of "Mary Poppins." But all things Poppins have been in the enchanted circle ever since Julie Andrews, who came to fame in "My Fair Lady" on stage, lost the role of Eliza Doolittle to Audrey Hepburn for the film version.

Andrews' consolation prize, the lead in the family film adaptation of "Mary Poppins," became a surprise bonanza, catapulting the actress-singer to global renown. Andrews also had the last laugh, winning the 1965 Best Actress Oscar.

Until the 2004 stage revival of this affectionately remembered story, most may have recalled "Mary Poppins" as Andrews' Revenge, or for her performance opposite the equally sprightly Dick Van Dyke.

Set it aside.

Although most of the touchstones are still there, it is a new "Mary Poppins," with new music and lyrics added to (judiciously edited) old favorites, that comes to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center for a four-day run beginning Wednesday.

Starring Rachel Wallace as Mary and Case Dillard as Bert, the Disney Theatrical-Cameron Mackintosh production opens its North American tour here, one of four such tours now playing on three continents. Directing the tour is Anthony Lyn with choreography by fellow Briton Geoffrey Garratt.

Backstage

Cast and crew arrived in town more than a week ahead of the opening date for set-ups and rehearsals. On a Wednesday afternoon, with workers assembling sets in the background, the production's assistant company manager (and Matt Damon look-alike) Brad Broman is revealing how onstage magic will be created behind the scenes. It's a maze of props, costumes and accoutrements, booms and pulleys, chain tracks, hoists and platforms. Broman describes it all like a ringmaster.

Meanwhile, the key components of Wallace and Dillard, Lyn and Garratt, are taking a break to meet the press.

"The show opened on Broadway when I was still in college, and my heart ached that I was not involved," recalls Wallace, whose New York and regional credits

include "Fortress of Solitude," "Threepenny Opera" and "Beautiful Girls."

"Every time I saw it, on Broadway and on tour, I saw more that I related to, appreciated and wanted to explore. So working on this now, there is so much for me to dig my feet into."

But how does one approach playing so fanciful a character, even if she is the most "grounded" of those on view?

"Anthony has been very good at helping me realize that the more of myself enjoying the part I bring to the stage, the closer I'd be to her," Wallace says. "It took a while for me to grasp, because I was so determined to get it right that sometimes I was just working at it. But as soon as I felt free to love everything about what I was doing, the closer I came to that character who finds bliss in everything she is doing."

Stout Fellows

"Mary Poppins" is a witty, vibrant tale of a "practically perfect" (if sometimes airborne) nanny who ushers profound change into the lives of the Banks family in London, circa 1910. And it is the family, not Mary or Bert, who are the real subjects of the story.

The stage version boasts a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellows ("Gosford Park," "Downton Abbey") as well as new songs and additional music and lyrics by the Olivier Award-winning team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, augmenting the Academy Award-winning music of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.

Set and costume design is by Tony Award winner Bob Crowley, with original choreography by Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear.

"The movie was a masterpiece and bears some but not an enormous relation to our production," says Garratt, who works closely with Mear but has put his own stamp on the tour's choreography. "What we wanted to do, as well as pay homage to that legendary movie, was also to pay homage to the original stories."

The premise of the stage musical is based on Travers' series of stories rather than the Disney movie, says Lyn, who also serves as associate director on the "Les Miserables" 25th anniversary tour.

"It was to give the musical more texture and not to rely too much on the sort of visual effects you could do in the film but not on the stage," Lyn adds. "A lot of the stories were re-read to give the family, the real protagonists of the play, more of a (dramatic) arc. So we've taken the best things from the movie and the best things from the book to create a story that still resonates with today's audience and across a wide age range."

Back for more

Dillard was part of the original Broadway company of "Mary Poppins" as well as its inaugural national tour, and relishes another opportunity.

"I've had so many thoughts and ideas about the character that now, coming back to the story, it's great to be able to create something new. It would be folly for me to try to reproduce what Dick Van Dyke did in the film. I want to do justice to the story and to the words that Julian Fellows wrote.

"I like the fact that all the numbers are different, and in so many styles. Everyone in the show has an opportunity to go out there and have fun."

The original stage production debuted in December 2004 at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. The Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre two years later, and remains the only show from the 2006-07 theatrical season still in performance. Worldwide to date, the Tony Award-winning show has grossed more than $644 million and entertained 9.3 million patrons.

Since its launch in Chicago in March 2009, the North American tour has played to 2 million theatergoers in 34 cities. The current road show, which reunites the creative team from the original tour, has earned its share of critical praise and box office success, even in what is arguably a more cynical age.

"The themes of the show, as well as all the wonderful musical numbers, are something that resonate as much with people today as they did when the book was published in 1934," Lyn says. "Many are re-focusing away from money to what is most important in life, like the family. I also think word-of-mouth has made the show incredibly successful both on Broadway and in every market around the country in which it has played.

"They may come expecting to see the film on stage and leave with something I think is much deeper."