Thursday, January 28, 2010

Mary Poppins Live at Ahmanson Theatre

I grew up with Julie Andrews’s magical English nanny and have been looking forward to see Disney and Cameron Macintosh’s stage adaptation and now blockbuster musical hit Mary Poppins.

The set was a work of genius. The Banks family’s house seemed like it came out of a pop-up book.

The audience is first oriented to the front of the house. The humongous set turns around to reveal the inside replete with a living room, a kitchen, and a stairway to the bedroom which is another set altogether that sets the stage for the rooftop sequences.

The audience couldn’t help but give a rousing applause in amazement and appreciation as each section literally unfolds.

It was an absolute joy to listen and sing-along (in silence, of course) to familiar tunes and to hear new original songs created for the musical.

“A Spoonful Of Sugar”
had a hilarious twist. The hymnal “Feed The Birds” still resonated with reverence. For the uber-popular “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, the ensemble spelled out each letter using their bodies.

“Step In Time” is the musical’s highlight with show-stopping tap dancing from the floor to the walls and even up to the ceiling. Bert (Gavin Lee) was literally upside-down singing and dancing.

The adage “They saved the best for last” couldn’t have been truer in the finale. Mary Poppins floated from one side of the stage towards the center waving at the audience.

From there she bids the audience farewell as she flies over the entire auditorium from the orchestra section to the mezzanine and up to the balcony. The audience’s cheers grew louder and louder as Mary Poppins flew higher and higher.

I could see people with bugged eyes and slacked jaws clapping in disbelief. Shouts of praise resonated along with Mary Poppins’ flight and climaxed when she finally disappears onto the rooftop of Ahmanson Theatre.

Now that’s a finale!

The photo below is a link to an online album where my friend, Summer, and I had our pre-show supper.

The Boiling Crab
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Photos in this post and the online album are author's property

11 comments:

  1. "I AM SO JEALOUS! ONE OF MY FAV MOVIES! GOTTA C IT BEFORE IT LEAVES TOWN!"

    Dana Olney
    Tue, February 16, 2010 9:39:11 AM

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  2. Oh, Dana. Mary Poppins has flown out of L.A. I caught up with her during the final week run of the show. Sorry. If you want to see Dreamgirls or South Pacific let me know. :)

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  3. "supercalifragelisticexpialidocious!"

    Wilma Yan Cano
    Tue, February 16, 2010 8:22:45 PM

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  4. Ate Wilma, magdigdi ka baya ta mahiling kitang musical! Iyo an welcome to L.A. gift ko saimo. :)

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  5. malaki ang problema Pete...expired ang passport, walang visa, wala ding pamasahe ha ha ha

    Wilma Yan Cano
    Feb 29, 2010 3:06am ·

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  6. okey, eto plano natin.
    1. renew passport
    2. apply visa
    3. taya lotto
    :))

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  7. "ayos! galing ng plano Pete he he he.....abangan mo na ako dyan!"

    Wilma Yan Cano
    Sat, February 20, 2010 6:11:46 PM

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  8. nakapanood ka nga ng maykel dyakson, eh. kaya mo rin pumunta rito. :)

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  9. "O hayan...nag renew na ako ng passport....step 1 taken care of he he he"

    Wilma Yan Cano
    Mon, February 22, 2010 5:35:29 PM

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  10. grabe, excited na ako! :) alam ko, may kakailanganing effort at resources sa step 2, at siyempre suwerte. little by little, step by step...

    basta tandaan mo si john williams nasa hollywood bowl last wkend of aug or 1st wknd of sep. :))

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  11. grabe....John Williamsssssssss!!!! I love you!!! ha ha ha napraning na!

    Wilma Yan Cano
    February 25 at 8:00pm

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