HE'LL SWEEP YOU OFF YOUR FEET
As Mary Poppins (played by Ashley Brown) sings at the New Amsterdam Theatre, "It's a jolly holiday with you, Bert," and indeed, gentlemen like Gavin Lee are few. Though the Olivier-nominated star from Suffolk, England, spends his time "in the ashes and smoke" as the Cockney chimney sweep, "in this 'ole wide world, there's no happier bloke" making his Broadway debut. As delightful as Dick van Dyke was in the 1964 Disney movie of "Mary Poppins," Lee is even more perfectly suited – and sooted – to singing "Chim Chim Cheree." And in "Step in Time," the six-foot-three Brit turns the show on its head when he does an upside-down tap solo at the top of the proscenium, suspended by wires about 40 feet above the stage. He says, "I've got the best job in the world!"

Brown, who plays the "practically perfect" nanny, adds, "Gavin's amazing. He's been doing the show for a couple of years in London, so I was a little nervous not knowing a step or word of the show. But he's been so patient and gracious, and our sense of humor is right in line with each other. We both have the struggles of filling the big shoes of Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke, and he's such a gift. We're having a ball."

Lee's favorite roles have included Bobby Child in Crazy for You and Don Lockwood in Singin' in the Rain. And it's in London that he met his lovely wife, Emily Harvey; she played Madame Firmin in The Phantom of the Opera. Lee, 35, says, "Em's from South Dakota, and I've always wanted to get married in a non-traditional British way, so we got married in a cornfield there. We were wed in September so 'the corn was as high as an elephant's eye.' It was fantastic."

Question: Congrats on your Broadway debut. In your show, Mary Poppins is this magical nanny, but Bert's a bit of a mystery, too. Who is he?
Gavin Lee: The director, Richard Eyre, said to me: "It's up to you to decide who Bert is." I've decided that Mary is not human. She's a spirit. And she lives somewhere in the sky. And I've decided Bert is human. He's a regular jack of all trades: a chimney sweep, whatever. And the reason I can walk up walls or pull flowers out of paintings is only because she's around. She's got the magic. Mary has a soft spot for Bert, and he's madly in love with her. I'll try to kiss her, but she pushes me away. That's why it's touching when she says goodbye to me. It might be another year until I get to help her again, so she gives me a peck, and I won't wash my face for six months.

Q: What's it like working with Ashley as Mary Poppins?
Lee: She's a hoot and such fun. I've had three Marys: Laura Michelle Kelly; then after the first year, Scarlett Strallen, and now Ashley. It's amazing how three actresses can play Mary so differently. Ashley has brought way more heart and warmth. For me, Laura was Mary Poppins. She's still and gracious. She played it very much like the books. Scarlett's a dancer, so she added a bit of grace and poise. And Ashley has found comedy in this role that no one else has. She's such a funny person. When she runs up and down the stairs, she puts her nose in the air and flicks her hands. But there's two flights, so she's not just gonna get one laugh; she'll get two.

Q: Julie Andrews came to see the show in London. How was that?
Lee: Fantastic. She came onstage after the bows and talked about how Mary had been her role for 40-odd years, but it's now time to pass the torch to Laura and the whole cast. She was so gracious. She said, "All I can say is …" and then she spelled out the letters in "Supercalifragilisticexpialodocus" as we do it in the show. Then I was honored to stand between Laura and Julie and sing "It's a Jolly Holiday."

Q: While you're here, another Gavin has taken over your role as Bert in London: Gavin Creel. He says you're "the coolest."
Lee: I first saw Gavin in Thoroughly Modern Millie. I was on vacation, and I thought he was brilliant. I bought the CD to sing along with his songs and realized I couldn't sing them. Gavin's got such a good voice. I tried out for that part in London, but I didn't even get a callback. So when he came to London, we got on really well. He didn't know anyone there, so he came to our house in South London. During rehearsals, I told him, "I'm gonna come see you, and any bits you do better than me, I'm gonna nick them and bring them to Broadway." (Laughs.) Before we left London, me and Em got tickets at the back of the stalls, so he couldn't see us. After the show, I called him and asked, "How was the show?" He said, "It was good." I said, "I know. I was there." He said, "You bastard!" Then we went out for drinks and I praised him to the hilt.

Q: Before Mary Poppins, you understudied leads and played featured roles but weren't sure if you'd get to be a leading man, right?
Lee: That's right. I was 30. I was still getting jobs in the West End and around the country. I was doing pretty well. But then I met Em and fell in love. The career wasn't as important as I thought it was in my twenties. As soon as I came to that conclusion, I got Bert, and this has been the most fantastic six years of my life.

Q: What do you remember about your first date with Emily?
Lee: Liza Minnelli was doing a show at Albert Hall, and my agent knew David Gest, so he got me a couple of freebies. I called Emily for a date. I was playing it cool. "None of my friends are free, I don't know if you'd like to go," all that rubbish. She saw right through that. She knew I was nervous. She said yes. This was our first date. But on the day of the concert, Gest recalled my freebies because the show was selling out. I called Em to tell her I was sorry and maybe we could go for a meal. Meanwhile, Em had bought a dress and gotten all dolled up. She said, "Yeah, I think we'll go out for a meal. There's no way you're getting out of this, buddy." And this turned out even better than a concert with Liza because we spent three, four hours in a restaurant, talking. We just clicked. So thank you, David Gest!

For info about Mary Poppins, visit www.DisneyonBroadway.com. Continued...