“Mary Poppins” at the Phoenix Theatre

The winds are in the east here in Phoenix, which means one thing – Mary Poppins is in town!  Mary Poppins was a favorite from my childhood, and now she’s a favorite of my daughter’s.  The movie was in constant rotation in the DVD player for a few years, and we’re currently reading the book, so when I heard the musical was making a return trip to Phoenix, well, that sounded supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to me!

If you think the musical will be just like the movie, you would be wrong.  The musical is a nice balance between the film and the book.  There are so many magical moments in the film that the producers chose not to use, and there are many magical moments from the film that would be difficult to do in a stage production.  My daughter was disappointed that tea on the ceiling with Uncle Albert was missing from the musical, but given logistics, who can blame them?

The musical has such favorite songs as “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” “Jolly Holiday” and “Spoonful of Sugar.”  There’s a couple of new songs, one sung by  new nanny, Miss Andrew, “Brimstone and Treacle,” and the nursery toys come to life to sing “Temper Temper” after Jane and Michael argue over a doll {my daughter and her friend thought this number was a little creepy.}

My daughter and my favorite part was an energetic tap dance on the rooftops while singing “Chim Chim Cher-ee.”  It was also awesome each time Mary Poppins made an entrance through the air, umbrella in hand.  The theatre wasn’t too large, so there was an intimate feel to the production with cast members making appearances in the aisles.

The Phoenix Theatre sits on the same campus as the Phoenix Art Museum, and is located at 100 E. McDowell in downtown Phoenix.  Parking is easy and free, which is always a good thing, especially when you’re with the kids.  There are snacks and drinks available for purchase including hot chocolate and spiced apple cider.  There’s also wine, beer and two signature Mary Poppins drinks, the Jolly Holiday and a Rum Punch {Mary’s favorite.}  We enjoyed a signature Mary Poppins cookie in the form of a red umbrella.  Scrumptious!

We ordered our drinks before the show started and they were waiting for us at the Intermission; a good way to avoid the lines {you can also order your snacks ahead of time.}  We enjoyed our drinks while sitting in the lobby which is very modern and clean.  All of the staff was very helpful and friendly and I’m looking forward to a return visit to the Phoenix Theatre.

“Mary Poppins” was a great time and if you have a chance to see it, I would highly recommend it – it’s the perfect excuse to head downtown.  Get to the Phoenix Theatre before the winds change and Mary’s gone {that would be December 28th.}  Even if you don’t catch this one, there are more shows in the 2014-2015 season, including “Anything Goes” coming in February/March 2015.  Be sure to check out the full Phoenix Theatre schedule, as well as more information, here.