Mary Poppins: Steffanie Leigh to play title role

Steffanie Leigh will make her Broadway debut on 11 Oct 2011 in the title role of the Broadway production of Mary Poppins. Leigh will assume the role from Olivier Award winner Laura Michelle Kelly, the West End's original Mary Poppins, who will play her final performance 9 Oct 2011.

Steffanie Leigh as played the title role on the North American tour of the musical. Her previous regional theatre credits include 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well' and 'Living in Paris,' 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' '42nd St.,' 'Into the Woods,' 'Grease,' 'Mame' and 'Les Miserables.'

Leigh will join a cast that also features Tony Award nominee Gavin Lee as 'Bert,' Karl Kenzler as 'George Banks,' Megan Osterhaus as 'Winifred Banks,' Valerie Boyle as 'Mrs. Brill,' Ann Arvia as 'Bird Woman,' Andrew Keenan-Bolger as 'Robertson Ay,' Ruth Gottschall as 'Miss Andrew' and Jonathan Freeman as 'Admiral Boom.' Alternating in the role of 'Jane Banks' are Rozi Baker, Brigid Harrington and Kara Oates, while alternating in the role of 'Michael Banks' are Lewis Grosso, David Gabriel Lerner and Anthony Scarpone-Lambert.

The Broadway production of Mary Poppins opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on the 16 Nov 2005, following previews from the 14 Oct, where it is currently booking through to 25 Mar 2012.

The musical opened to mostly good reviews: "A roof-raising, toe-tapping, high-flying extravaganza" (New York Daily News); "Was fine as a Disney movie and is even better as this Broadway musical" (New York Post); "A real Broadway musical - the kind we haven't seen in a long time." (Journal News); "Most children, however, really don't know the difference between great and mediocre performances, and they will love the show." (newyorktheatreguide).

However, not all the reviews were so favourable: "Handsome, homily-packed and rather tedious show." (New York Times); "Resembles a vast, elaborate clockwork toy of yesteryear." (Star-Ledger); "A wee bit of a letdown." (Washington Post).

Mary Poppins is based on the stories by P.L. Travers and the 1964 Walt Disney film.

The musical features many of the original songs from the film, with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who won two Oscar's for the film Mary Poppins. The new stage production features new songs and additional music and lyrics by Olivier Award-winners George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The production has been created in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh.

Director Richard Eyre leads the award-winning creative team assembled for Mary Poppins with co-direction and choreography by Olivier Award winner Matthew Bourne. Mary Poppins features a book by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes, set and costume design is by Tony Award winner Bob Crowley, co-choreography by Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and musical supervision by David Caddick.

Mary Poppins creator Pamela Lyndon (P.L.) Travers was born Helen Lyndon Goff in Australia on August 9, 1899. While touring as a theatre actress, Pamela began publishing poems, articles, and stories; which led to a career in journalism. It was in 1934, while living in England, that she wrote the first of six books featuring Mary Poppins. Pamela Travers passed away on April 23, 1996.