It will then visit Bristol, Dublin, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Southampton, with further dates to be announced.
In a press statement Mackintosh commented, "It’s hard to believe that it is already 11 years since Mary Poppins first landed on the London stage. My goodness……time flies even faster than our beloved Nanny! I’m delighted to be bringing her back to the UK and for the first time to Dublin, after spreading her magic around the world. Since we originally staged the production we have found even more magical ways to stage this timeless tale and I’m sure you will find our new Mary practically perfect in every way."
The stage production was co-created by Mackintosh and has a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter and "Downton Abbey" creator, Julian Fellowes. It has a score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman including the songs "Jolly Holiday," "Step in Time," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Feed the Birds" from the original film, with new songs and additional music and lyrics by the Olivier Award-winning British team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The producer for Disney Theatrical Productions is Thomas Schumacher.
The original creative team includes director Richard Eyre, with co-direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne, co-choreography by Stephen Mear and set and costume design by Bob Crowley. Lighting is by Natasha Katz, sound design by Paul Groothuis and orchestrations by William David Brohn. The national tour is directed by Anthony Lyn and choreographed by Geoffrey Garratt with musical supervision by Stephen Brooker.
The stage production of Mary Poppins originally opened in 2004 and ran in the West End for three years and over 1,250 performances. The Broadway production opened in 2006 and ran for over six years. The show has subsequently toured Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and the U.K. Tickets go on sale for the first two dates at Leicester and Bristol on March 6 and March 5, respectively. To book tickets, visit www.curveonline.co.uk and www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome.
