Posts Categorized: Mary Poppins

Meyer Family at Marry Poppins the Musical

Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins – A Mommy Bloggers Showtune Valentine

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This next Mommy Blogger is a close friend and someone who I go to for advice and to vent with.  She is one of the smartest people I know and I am excited to have her guest blogging about her favorite showtune for Valentine’s Day.

A First Broadway Experience We Will Never Forget

Meyer Family at Marry Poppins the Musical

Meyer Family at Marry Poppins the Musical

My daughters have been raised on Broadway music. In fact, my husband and I actually first met when I was doing high school theatre. We started dating while working on “The Music Man” together. Before we had kids, we always had tickets to Broadway Across America in Indianapolis. Our girls have seen a few musicals locally but none of us had ever seen one in New York.

Last year when I was attending a conference in NYC we decided to make it a quick family trip. We only had 3 days and had purchased tour tickets, so we didn’t have a lot of time to spare. We initially decided that we would put off seeing a show until our next visit when we could really plan for it. However, we found ourselves at the TKS ticket booth one day around 5:00 and decided to take a chance.

We ran up to the counter and asked what was available, when did it start, and how much would it be. Their first suggestion was Evita and although it was a favorite of mine, I didn’t think it would be a good first musical for the kids. Options were really limited to get 4 seats together, but she had one set left for Mary Poppins. We didn’t have enough cash on us, so luckily they took our credit card. We had about 30 minutes to run back through Times Square to make it to the show on time.

Grabbing pretzels and hot dogs on a corner, we made it into the line just in time not to be late. We didn’t get to look around too much, but the New Amsterdam theatre was amazing. I spent a little time researching it on the phone and reading to the family while we waited for the show to start. Our seats were terrible and almost the whole way at the back, but we didn’t care!

Although we have seen the movie many times, I was most taken with the song “Feed the Birds.” I never cared about that song before, but I think being in that moment and seeing it performed with my kids on Broadway the first time any of us ever went left a real mark on me. I know I should have understood before that the theme of the song was about charity, but I guess I just always overlooked it because the song didn’t appeal to me. Now I find myself frequently humming it and hoping that my children understand it, too.

A little trivia about the song. It is known to have been one of Walt Disney’s favorites. As a major Disney fan, I love this!

Mary Poppins is closing on Broadway on March 3, 2013, to make way for the new Aladdin. But hopefully many of you will still be able to see it on tours across the country. It was a terrific family experience that mine will never forget. And I will never think of “Feed the Birds” the same way.


Tricia Meyer is a mom, a blogger, and a Disney fanatic. You can read her random musings about parenting and life in general at Helping Moms Connect.

Mary Poppins on Broadway Reviewed

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If there is one thing I love more than anything, it is amazing choreography and solid voices.  Although Mary Poppins has the dancing, there really aren’t any songs that enable the Actors to show off their voices but there are moments in almost every song where you get to see their amazing choreography and how talented they are with their ability to dance.  Disney gets a lot of crap from the Broadway Community about Broadway being about talent and natural ability, not huge budgets and wardrobe, but I have to admit, sometimes I love the huge budgets and classic characters.

If there is one thing that Disney can do like no other show or production company it is create a story that people will fall in love with, characters that we will remember, heroes and heroines that we will admire and villains we will hate.   Not only can Disney do this with their movies and tv shows, but they have now found a way to bring these amazing characters to life and not just through the screens or running around their theme parks, but on Broadway and in touring casts all over the world.

Disney brings their animated cartoons to life with elaborate costumes and helps characters like Mary Poppins fly through a theatre above a crowd who stares in complete shock.  Combined with their deep pockets and ability to recruit the best talent on earth, if I’m in the mood to watch a classic story and fall in love with childhood heroes, there is nothing I love more than a Disney show and Mary Poppins is the perfect one to see.

Mary Poppins is a nanny who finds two little kids who need someone that can not only be their friend but also teach them responsibility and how to enjoy their lives.  Mary takes them to magical places and into dreams to not only discover more about themselves, but also how to be an adult.  Mary shows them how to sweep a chimney, enjoy a rainy day and teaches them to respect everyone no matter how much money they have or where they fall into the world socially.   Mary Poppins on Broadway is a classic Disney show with amazing dance routines, elaborate and colorful costumes and songs that we all remember from our childhood.  Although no one can replace Julie Andrews on the silver screen, no one can replace this new and real life Mary Poppins that floats above crowds and brings the character to life.

Between the singing, the dancing, the costumes and the music, Mary Poppins on Broadway is a must see family favorite.  Not for the hardcore theatre buff or artsy type but for the family or someone who wants a feel good thought free stress relief and great time with great dancing and music and an even better and more memorable night out with their friends and family.   Mary Poppins on broadway is appropriate for all ages and even though there is no real heavy thought or deep meaning to the show, I still have to give Mary Poppins a 4 out of 5 because to be honest, I love the music, the costumes and the choreography.  Although Disney gets a horrible reputation for ruining broadway, I personally think that sometimes you need a break from shows that make you think like Spring Awakening or shows about rebellion like Rent or even shows for adults like Phantom of the Opera.

Even though Disney shows are geared towards kids, we were all kids at one point and almost all of us remember the songs.  This is why no matter who you are and how much you hate that Disney has taken over broadway, you end up having to sing a long and even smile during a Disney show, especially a show like Mary Poppins.  Mary Poppins is a classic Disney Show and one that I highly recommend if you want a night out with the family and want something you can sing along to and remember for the rest of your life.  This classic tale is perfect for everyone in your family so don’t worry about having your kids there or even leaving the kids at home.  Mary Poppins  is a great classic Disney show and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.  If you’ve seen Mary Poppins on Broadway, feel free to leave a comment below and tweet this post by clicking the green box at the top.