MARY POPPINS Added to Utah Shakes' 2016 Season

With so much to look forward to in 2016, the Utah Shakespeare Festival has secured the rights to Disney's beloved musical, Mary Poppins. Before a public announcement could be made a signed contract and confirmation had to be received which just happened late last week.

Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn are trilled to be bringing Mary Poppins to Cedar City. "It's the perfect complement to a season that will introduce the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts to our audiences," said Ivers.

"With a lush score by the Sherman Brothers, book by Julian Fellowes (of Downton Abbey fame), based on P. L. Travers endearing children's books, as well as the award-winning Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins is in every way Shakespearean," said Vaughn. " With equal parts music, magic, wit and wonder, it is the perfect offering for the young and young at heart." Even grownups can learn a lesson from the "practically perfect in everyway" nanny who advises "anything can happen if you let it."

Mary Poppins is the story of the Banks family and how their lives change when a mysterious and magical nanny, Mary Poppins, arrives at their home on Cherry Tree Lane. This fun for the whole family musical features all the classic songs, "Spoonful of Sugar", "Chim Chim Cher-ee", and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins was written by Julian Fellowes with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (with new songs, additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe).

Announced earlier, here are the additional titles in the 55th season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. In the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre will be William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V and Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers.

In the Randall L. Jones Theatre will be the Marx Brother's romp, The Cocoanuts with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and book by George S. Kaufman, Neil Simon's The Odd Couple and now Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins.

In the new Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, will be Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and the

musical murder mystery, Murder for Two with book and lyrics by Kellen Blair and book and music by Joe Kinosian.

With so much changing next year, be assured that "Your Festival Experience" is still at the forefront of every visit, but now all located in one amazing Center for the Arts. The Festival will still offer props, costume, actor and literary seminars, orientations, Greenshows and of course backstage tours of our new facilities.

Tickets for the 2016 season go on sale August 4. They will be available via the Festival website, www.bard.org; telephone, 800-PLAYTIX or at the Ticket Office.