The co-production between theatrical producing giants Cameron Mackintosh and Disney will begin performances at London's Prince Edward Theatre Dec. 6, preceding a warm-up run at Bristol's Hippodrome from Sept. 15 to Nov. 6. (Click here to buy tickets to the pre-London run.)

Laura Michelle Kelly, who plays Hodel in the current Broadway revival of Fiddler On the Roof, will play the beloved nanny — the role originated on screen by Julie Andrews.

Kelly made her London stage debut at 16 in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and she recently co-starred in Mackintosh's West End revival of My Fair Lady.

Tickets for the West End run will be available to the general public on Feb. 29, 2004.

Mary Poppins will feature direction by Sir Richard Eyre, choreography by Matthew Bourne, design by Bob Crowley, a book by Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park") and additional tunes (supplementing the original film score by Robert and Richard Sherman) by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Stiles and Drewe are the British songwriting team who composed the score for the Olivier Award winning musical Honk!

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The beloved 1964 Disney film "Mary Poppins" starred Julie Andrews in the title role opposite Dick Van Dyke as Bert the chimney sweep. Directed by Robert Stevenson, the movie boasted a score by the Sherman brothers (Richard and Robert) and featured such tunes as "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Jolly Holiday," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Feed the Birds," "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite." Nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture, the film garnered Oscars for Julie Andrews as well as those for Best Special Visual Effects; Best Film Editing; Best Score; and Best Song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee").