Caroline Sheen Reprises Lead Roll In Detroit's MARY POPPINS, Closes 1/2

MARY POPPINS will conclude performances at the Detroit Opera House on Sunday, January 2, 2011.  

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 show has grossed over $457 million and welcomed 6.4 million guests.

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 achieved the milestone of being the most successful touring theatrical event of the year.

Original UK Tour star Caroline Sheen will reprise her role as "Mary Poppins" while original Broadway company member Nicolas Dromard will assume the role of "Bert."

Caroline Sheen makes her U.S. stage debut in the North American Tour after earning rave reviews from the UK press including The Herald (Plymouth, UK) who called her, "the perfect embodiment of the outwardly prim nanny with the free-thinking mind." Sheen, who was born in Wales, has appeared on stage in a wide variety of other leading roles in the West End and UK including The Light in the Piazza, Once in a Lifetime, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Grease, Les Miserables, The Witches of Eastwick and Mamma Mia! Sheen is appearing with the support of Actors' Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

Nicolas Dromard was a member of the original Broadway company of MARY POPPINS and recently played the role of "Fiyero" in the San Francisco production of Wicked. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dromard has also appeared in the Broadway productions of The Boy From Oz and Oklahoma! and originated roles in the Canadian productions of Mamma Mia! and Hairspray. Dromard also appeared in stage productions at Stratford Festival of Canada and the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

Joining Sheen and Dromard will be Laird Mackintosh as "George Banks." Mr. Mackintosh has performed several leading roles in Canada including The Drowsy Chaperone, White Christmas, Arcadia and Phantom of the Opera. "Winifred Banks" will be played by Blythe Wilson who joins the production after appearing on stage in The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia!, Oklahoma!, and Three Penny Opera.

Rachel Izen will portray "Mrs. Brill." Ms. Izen is making her North American Tour debut having appeared in numerous London West End productions including A Chorus Line, Chicago, Guys and Dolls, Singin' in the Rain, Beauty and the Beast, Annie and Thoroughly Modern Mille. Dennis Moench, who will play "Robertson Ay," was recently seen in the Broadway production of MARY POPPINS and has also appeared in the All Shook Up National Tour and Off-Broadway in Altar Boyz and Fame.

Ellen Harvey will play "Miss Andrew." MS. Harvey's Broadway credits include The Music Man and Thou Shalt Not and she has appeared in the National Tours of Disney's High School Musical, Mamma Mia!, Doctor Dolittle, and Sunset Boulevard. "The Bird Woman" will be played by Mary VanArsdel, who has appeared in productions of Cole Porter's Paris, Mass, Camelot (with Jeremy Irons), 110 In the Shade, and Gypsy. "Admiral Boom" will be portrayed by Mike O'Carroll, a stage veteran whose past credits include White Christmas, Fiddler on the Roof, Showboat, Will Rogers Follies, Henry IV, Inherit the Wind, and Ragtime.

Performances in the role of "Jane Banks" will be alternated between Camille Mancuso and Paige Simunovich. Ms. Mancuso's previous theatre credits include the national tours of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, White Christmas, and Little House on the Prairie. Ms. Simunovich was last seen on Broadway in Finian's Rainbow and in the national tours of 101 Dalmatians, Wizard of Oz and Annie. Performances in the role of "Michael Banks" will be alternated between Talon Ackerman and Cade Canon Ball. Mr. Ackerman has previously appeared in the stage productions of Disney's Tarzan, Cats, The Secret Garden, Sleepy Hollow and Our Town. Mr. Ball has recently appeared on stage in productions of Seussical, A Christmas Carol and Sound of Music.

Rounding out the cast are Jacob ben Widmar, Kiara Bennett, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Jonathan Brody, Debra Cardona, Eric Coles, Carol Angeli Dillard, Case Dillard, Elizabeth Earley, Steffi Garrard, Geoffrey Goldberg, Mark Harapiak, Eric Hatch, Garett Hawe, Tiffany Howard, Kelly Jacobs, Sam Kiernan, Stephanie Martignetti, Koh Mochizuki, Michael Dean Morgan, Shua Potter, Nick Sanchez, Q. Smith, Jesse Swimm, and Jen Taylor.

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 James Dodgson.

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 that opened during the 2006-2007 theatrical season still in performance.

The MARY POPPINS North American tour has also garnered continuous critical praise and achieved box office success since its launch in Chicago in March 2009.

In addition to Broadway and North America, MARY POPPINS can also be seen at the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen, Holland, outside of Amsterdam, and in Melbourne, Australia at Her Majesty's Theatre. Productions of MARY POPPINS have also been mounted in Sweden, Finland and Denmark, and a new production opens in the Czech Republic next month. Future productions are planned for Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Israel, Japan, Mexico and South America.

Performance times for MARY POPPINS, appearing December 16 - January 2, 2011 at the Detroit Opera House, located at 1526 Broadway St., in Detroit, are as follows:

- Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 7:30 p.m. (Friday, December 31 performance is at 6:30 p.m. There is no performance on Friday, December 24.)
- Wednesday and Thursday matinee performances at 2:00 p.m.
- Saturday, December 18 matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. (There is no matinee performance on December 25 or January 1.)
- Sunday matinee performances at 1:00 p.m.
- Sunday evening performances at 6:30 p.m. (There is no evening performance on January 2.)

Ticket prices for the Detroit engagement of MARY POPPINS start at $25.00 (inclusive of facility fee) and are now on sale at the Fisher Theatre box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.BroadwayInDetroit.com, and by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787. Limited premium ticket packages are available at select performances, and include premium seating and a complimentary souvenir program. Limited premium seats are available at the box office only. For group sales (20 or more) please call (313) 871-1132 or email groups@broadwayindetroit.com. For additional information, call (313) 872-1000 or visit www.BroadwayinDetroit.com.

The Detroit engagement of MARY POPPINS is presented by arrangement with Broadway In Detroit. The Detroit engagement of MARY POPPINS is sponsored by your Southeastern Michigan Lincoln Mercury dealers.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR SCHEDULE THROUGH JULY 2011

East Lansing - Wharton Center for Performing Arts
November 4 - 21, 2010

Des Moines - Civic Center of Greater Des Moines
November 26 - December 12, 2010

Detroit - Opera House
December 16, 2010 - January 2, 2011

Pittsburgh - Benedum Center
January 5 - 23, 2011

Omaha - Orpheum Theatre
January 27 - February 13, 2011

Boston - Opera House
February 17 - March 20, 2011

Philadelphia - Academy of Music
March 23 - April 17, 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 - Orange County Performing Arts Center
July 14 - 31, 2011

For more information, please visit www.BroadwayInDetroit.com or MaryPoppins.com.

Follow Broadway In Detroit on Facebook and on Twitter @BroadwayDetroit.