Jan. 28, 2015
Mary Poppins will fly into Venice on Feb. 17
The practically perfect nanny to make her Southwest Florida debut on Venice Theatre’s MainStage
(Venice, Florida) After a nearly sold-out run of Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story, Venice Theatre is preparing for another hit with the Broadway musical Mary Poppins. The theatre’s Executive/Artistic Director Murray Chase is at the helm of this ambitious production which stars Renee Cordonnier as Mary and Logan O’Neill as cockney chimney sweep, Bert. The show will open Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 and run through Sunday, March 15, 2015. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Due to heavy pre-sales, a Saturday matinee has also been added on March 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 for adults, $15 for college students, $13 for children and are on sale now at the theatre’s box office located at 140 W. Tampa Ave. in Venice, online at www.venicestage.com or by phone at 941-488-1115. Gulf Coast Community Foundation has generously sponsored the production.
Drawing inspiration from the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Olivier and seven TONY Awards, including Best Musical.
The show opens with Bert introducing the audience to 1910 England and the troubled Banks family. Unruly Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, Mary must teach the family how to value each other again. She takes the children on magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren’t the only ones she has a profound effect upon. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises in a song written for the stage version that “Anything can happen if you let it.”
Michelle Kasanofsky musically directs the show which is chock-full of familiar tunes by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. Audiences will recognize songs from the Disney film such as “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Feed the Birds,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” and “Step in Time.” Additional songs created for the stage show are by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
Venice Theatre’s version of Mary Poppins will feature many elements of the London and Broadway productions including elaborate tap numbers created by choreographer Geena Ravella, unique special effects and illusions and a few surprises overseen by the company ZFX Flying Effects.
New York Daily News called Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins “… a roof-raising, toe-tapping, high-flying extravaganza.” Variety was impressed with the show’s stagecraft and design while also praising its “old-fashioned storytelling virtues and genuine charm.”
Chase says, “We’re excited to bring one of the world’s most iconic characters to Venice. Almost 50 years after she exploded from book to screen, Mary Poppins will soar into MainStage in a lavish production which will delight adults and young people alike.”
Again, tickets for Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins and all Venice Theatre shows and events through June 2015 are available at the box office at 941-488-1115 or online at www.venicestage.com. Subscriptions for the 2015-2016 season are also on sale. Venice Theatre is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave. on the island in Venice. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and one hour before performances.
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Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins
A Musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film
Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Book by Julian Fellowes
New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Co-created by Cameron Mackintosh
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director – Murray Chase
Music Director – Michelle Kasanofsky
Choreographer – Geena Ravella
Stage Manager – Lisa Million
Technical Director – John Michael Andzulis
Scenic Designer – Tim Wisgerhof
Lighting Designer – Ryan Mueller
Costume Designer – Nicholas Hartman
Sound Designer – Dorian Boyd
Assistant Director – Sean London Young
CAST
Mary Poppins – Renee Cordonnier
Bert – Logan O’Neill
Mr. Banks – Doug Landin
Mrs. Banks – Lisa Figueroa
Michael Banks – Logan Schultz and Ryan Hunek
Jane Banks – Kiley Berkery & Natalie Taylor
Miss Andrew/Ensemble – Angela Benardo
Mrs. Brill – Kristi Hibschman
Bank President /Admiral Boom/Ensemble – Doug Snure
Park Keeper/Policeman – Bob Peters
Miss Lark/Ensemble – DaNeisha Carr
Mrs. Corry/Ensemble – Lisa Revis
Annie – Teri DeNiro
Fannie – Toni Hajroja
Neleus – Sean London Young
Bird Woman/Ensemble – Ruth Shaulis
Robertson Ay/Ensemble – Charlie Kollar
Valentine/Ensemble – Tim Chastain
William/Ensemble – Parker Lawhorne
Punch/Northbrook/Ensemble – Gary Grossman
Von Hussler/Ensemble – Bob Peters
Understudy for Mary/Ensemble – Jessie Tasetano
Ensemble: Jillian Alexander, Amy Blake, Makenzie Callahan, Melyssa Dawson, Antoinette Gagliano, Emma Gallagher, Arta Hajroja, Sarah Johnson, Chloe Marchand, Isabella Smith, Grace Wickerson
140 W. Tampa Ave
Venice, FL 34285
Tickets: 941-488-1115
Venice Theatre’s mission is making a dramatic impact on all stages of life. The second-largest out of 10,000 community theatres in the United States, it is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave .on the island in Venice, FL. Its MainStage offers seating for 432 patrons and features musicals, plays, concerts and special events. Its Yvonne Pinkerton Theatre seats 90 patrons and is home to the theatre’s “Generations”, Stage II and Cabaret Series. In addition to providing entertainment to the community, Venice Theatre has a wide range of education and outreach programs for children and adults.