About the work
Mary Poppins is a musical with the original songs of the Sherman Brothers plus new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, with a book by Julian Fellowes, premiered in 2004 in London's West End. It combines P. L. Travers's children's books with the 1964 Disney film and was created as a co-production between Disney and Cameron Mackintosh.
Plot
In Edwardian London, the Banks family is out of balance: the stern banker George has lost touch with his children Jane and Michael. Then, blown in on the wind, the mysterious nanny Mary Poppins arrives with her magic bag. Together with the chimney sweep Bert she leads the children into a world full of wonders and teaches the whole family to find their way back to one another. Once her task is done, Mary lets the wind carry her onward.
Cultural significance
The stage version of Mary Poppins became an international family success and is famous for its spectacular theatrical effects—Mary's flight over the audience and Bert's tap dance up the wall and across the ceiling. Classics such as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, A Spoonful of Sugar, and Feed the Birds belong to the collective memory. The work ran for years in London and on Broadway and is among the most frequently performed Disney stage musicals.