Mary Beth Torgerson, left, and Normand Caissie have the central roles of Mary Poppins and Bert in the Closed Door Entertainment production of “Mary Poppins,” to be presented this weekend at Memorial Auditorium.If you go
* What: Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins.” * When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 22; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 24. * Where: Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. * Admission: $33.50 and $28.50 adults, $25.50 students and seniors 65+ (plus fees). * Phone: 1-800-514-3849. * Website: www.ChattanoogaOnStage.com. * Note: Friday’s show will be interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Memorial Auditorium will look and sound a lot like No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane in London this weekend as a favorite English nanny pops in for four performances of “Mary Poppins” – complete with “A Spoonful of Sugar” and the tongue-twisting ditty “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
Presented by local theater company Closed Door Entertainment, the musical follows the adventures of the magical, umbrella-toting nanny, Mary Poppins, after she is blown in by the east wind to care for the children in the Banks household.
The adventure began as a series of eight children’s books written by P.L. Travers. Those were adapted by Walt Disney in 1964 into a musical film of the same name, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. (The 2013 feature film “Saving Mr. Banks” depicted the making of the movie.)
In 2004, Disney Theatrical produced a stage musical in London’s West End in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh, who had previously acquired the stage rights from Travers. The musical moved to Broadway in 2006 and played for more than 2,500 performances before closing in 2013. During its stage runs, it was nominated for nine Olivier and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
In the production, the jack-of-all-trades Bert introduces the audience to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic, common sense and memorable adventures, she teaches the family how to value each other again. Of course, Jane and Michael aren’t the only ones she has a profound effect upon. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that “Anything can happen if you let it.”
Tickets to the public performances, which are scheduled Friday through Sunday, May 22-24, are available through the auditorium box office. Tickets to a private matinee for schools, home-school groups and retirement/nursing facilities Friday morning can be reserved by emailing closeddoorentertainment@gmail.com.