MARY POPPINS North American Tour Opens Tonight in Columbus

The Columbus premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Thursday, April 21 at 7:30pm at the Ohio Theatre for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, May 8. MARY POPPINS plays Tuesday through Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 1pm and 6:30pm. There will also be a 2pm matinee on Thursday, May 5. "Thus far, sales have exceeded our expectations, but there are still great seats available," said Jack Eldon, Vice President, Domestic, Disney Theatrical Productions.

With four productions currently running on three continents, MARY POPPINS is one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge from London or New York in recent years. Worldwide to date, the six productions of the show have grossed over $521 million, welcomed 7 million guests and cumulatively run 11.5 years. The musical is the winner of 35 major theatre awards around the globe, including Tony®, Olivier and Evening Standard awards.

The entire original creative team has reunited to bring this magical story of the world's most famous nanny to audiences around North America. The MARY POPPINS North American Tour began performances on March 25, 2009 and has played to 1.5 million delighted theatergoers in 24 cities to date.

Steffanie Leigh will star as "Mary Poppins" while original Broadway company member, Nicolas Dromard, will assume the role of "Bert".

Joining Leigh and Dromard will be Michael Dean Morgan as "George Banks", Blythe Wilson as "Winifred Banks", Rachel Izen as "Mrs. Brill", Dennis Moench as "Robertson Ay", Q. Smith as "Miss Andrew", Janet MacEwen as "The Bird Woman", and Michael McCarty as "Admiral Boom." Performances in the role of "Jane Banks" will be alternated between Camille Mancuso and Marissa Smoker. Performances in the role of "Michael Banks" will be alternated between Talon Ackerman and Tyler Merna.

Rounding out the cast are Josh Assor, Jacob ben Widmar, Kiara Bennett, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Arielle Campbell, Debra Cardona, Kate Chapman, Eric Coles, Anthony Christian Daniel, Elizabeth Earley, Tyler Foy, Eric Giancola, Geoffrey Goldberg, Mark Harapiak, Eric Hatch, Tiffany Howard, Lisa Kassay, Koh Mochizuki, Michael Dean Morgan, Chuck Rea, Jesse Swimm, Nic Thompson, Rachel Wallace and Michelle E. White.

MARY POPPINS, a co-production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, opened on Broadway on November 16, 2006. Based on P.L. Travers' cherished stories and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, MARY POPPINS the stage play features the Academy Award®-winning music and lyrics of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The stage production has been created, in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh, by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who has written the book, and the Olivier Award-winning team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, who have composed new songs and additional music and lyrics.
Olivier Award-winning director Richard Eyre leads the award-winning creative team, with co-direction and choreography by Tony® and Olivier Award winner Matthew Bourne. MARY POPPINS features set and costume design by TonyÒ Award winner Bob Crowley, co-choreography by Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear, lighting design by Howard Harrison, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and music supervision by David Caddick. The tour's creative team includes Tour Director Anthony Lyn, Associate Choreographer Geoffrey Garrett, and Music Director Daniel Bowling.
ABOUT MARY POPPINS WORLDWIDE

MARY POPPINS received its worldwide premiere at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End in December 2004. Following its successful three-year London run, the production launched an acclaimed U.K. tour.
The Broadway production of MARY POPPINS officially opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 16, 2006, recouping its initial Broadway investment within 52 weeks of its premiere in 2006. MARY POPPINS is the only show from the 2006-2007 theatrical season still in performance.
The MARY POPPINS North American tour has garnered continuous critical praise and achieved box office success since its launch in Chicago in March 2009.
MARY POPPINS can also be seen in Scheveningen, Netherlands (outside of Amsterdam at the Circus Theatre), Melbourne, Australia (at Her Majesty's Theatre through April 1st) and Sydney, Australia (at the Capitol Theatre, opening May 5th). Productions of MARY POPPINS have also been mounted in Finland, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR SCHEDULE THROUGH DECEMBER 2011

Columbus - Ohio Theatre

April 20 - May 8, 2011
Seattle - Paramount Theatre

May 12 - 29, 2011
Sacramento - Community Center Theatre

June 2 - 19, 2011
Portland - Keller Auditorium

June 22 - July 10, 2011
Costa Mesa - Segerstrom Center for the Arts

July 14 - 31, 2011
San Diego - San Diego Civic Theatre

August 10 - 28, 2011
Salt Lake City - Capitol Theatre

September 1 - 25, 2011
San Antonio - Majestic Theatre

September 29 - October 9, 2011

Chicago - Cadillac Palace Theatre

October 13 - November 6, 2011

Toronto - Princess of Wales Theatre

November 10 - December 18, 2011

In Columbus, MARY POPPINS will play April 20 through May 8, Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 1pm and 6:30pm. There will also be a 2pm matinee on Thursday, May 5. Ticket prices start as low as $22.50. Special VIP Ticket Packages are available at select performances, and include premium seating and a complimentary souvenir program. Tickets are available at the Ohio Theatre Box Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. Orders for groups of 20 or more may be placed by calling (614) 719-6900.

The Columbus engagement of MARY POPPINS is presented by arrangement with CAPA and Broadway Across America, and is a 2010-11 season subscription offering.

For more information, please visit MaryPoppins.com.

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