Mary Poppins (2005 Original London Cast) | Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, ... |...

Mary Poppins (2005 Original London Cast) | Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, ... | Watch it and then buy CD

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Mary Poppins (2005...

	Mary Poppins (2005 Original London Cast) Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, ... Walt Disney Records, 2005 average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Mary Poppins may be one of the most beloved film musicals of all time, but it took 30 long years for it to transfer to the stage. This recording of the original London cast shows the wait was worthwhile though. The new version mixes in elements from both the original books by P.L. Travers (which she started publishing in 1934) and the Disney movie starring Julie Andrews, from 1964. (Mary seems to take 30 years to do anything.) Most of the original songs by brothers Richard and Robert Sherman (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) are present--Mary Poppins is so associated with "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "A Spoonful of Sugar," and "Chim Chim Cher-ee," her Oscar-winning duet with Bert, that starting from scratch would have been unthinkable. But then George Stiles and Anthony Drewe came in and dusted off some of these songs, and wrote entirely new numbers as well. Miraculous, these are wonderful and blend in seamlessly with the 1960s tunes, thanks in no small to William David Brohn's lovely orchestrations. As the titular super-nanny, Laura Michelle Kelly is so warm and scrumptious that she might as well be referring to herself when she sings "I'm practically perfect in every way." The rest of the cast is equally adept, making this Mary Poppins sweet but not treacly, and the rare show to upstage its source. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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Practically delightful in every way

I'm a fan of the original movie. Not the obsessive fan that buys all that's Poppins, but a fan nonetheless.

It's surprising that when Disney started producing for Broadway, they didn't see this among the first obvious choices. Of course, considering that Disney didn't have the stage rights to Mary Poppins, it's understandable why it may have taken so long. Fortunately, they were able to do a partnership to finally bring this to the stage.

Unfortunately, I have yet to see this on the stage. I can't wait until the day that I do, though.

The new songs were done in the Sherman Brothers style enough that the old songs flow very nicely, as if they had always been there. "Brimstone and Treacle" is quite possibly the highlight of all the new songs -- a rather cruel song, but you just won't be able to get it out of your head!

I have heard complaints that the musical is a bit too dark due to its reliance on the books a bit more than the movie -- but the original movie wasn't all that bright and cheerful through the entire movie. "Chim Chim Cheree" got downright creepy at points in the song -- some lines still give me some chills running down my spine!

I've yet to read the books... that's next on my list to do before I see it on stage.

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Watch it and then buy CD

If you did not see that musical yet...do it as soon as possible...we saw it 5 months ago and we are still singing.

Mary Poppins (2005 Original London Cast)

I never grow tired of hearing this music. It is always so uplifting. I find my self singing the tunes all day.

London Good, but Broadway Great

I recently saw Mary Poppins on Broadway and was blow away by the show. The songs are still in my head weeks later, which is a good thing. I bought this recording of the musical, but also have XM radio, which has access to a recording of the Broadway cast. I have to say that the Broadway cast is better. While the company is great in both, the stars shine better in the Broadway recording. Ashley Brown interpreted the songs better than her London counterpart. I can only hope that Disney will decide to release the Broadway recording.

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Quite Satisfactory

In an era of so many Disney feature film crossovers to the stage, we all knew "Mary Poppins" would have to make its way to Broadway eventually. There is a story that the Sherman brothers wrote an ending song for the film that Walt Disney did not like. He said that it was a fine way to end a Broadway show but not his movie. Little did Walt know what was to come!

The original (and beloved) score by the Sherman brothers remains substantially intact among several new songs by the British song-writing team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Their contributions are very much in the style of the originals but never, to my ears, blend seamlessly. Each original song has been re-arranged and re-orchestrated for this show, making them a little more "theatrical" in nature and more connected to the expanded plot of the show. (I enjoy the way "Jolly Holiday" is made into a partner song, for example.) But where are strings? In typical modern West End fashion, the pit is almost totally devoid of stringed instruments, much to the detriment of the production, I feel. Still, the cast is enthusiastic and the score has most of the innocence and charm you would want from a remake of the classic film. There are some very nice moments on this recording that cause me to keep this CD close by, though not at the top of the pile.

This is a much more legitimate and satisfying effort than was the staging of the Sherman brothers "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." I recommend this CD to people who loved the theatrical version and to Broadway collectors in general. If you simply love the film, this CD, while good, may not be for you.

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