"How can you not be happy? I've got all these people smiling at me at the end of the show. "The second you get on stage, it literally is like the moment you can choose to have the best fun of your whole life," she says. Kelly, who has originated a new song in the show, says she doesn't get bored playing the same role over and over. Neither are leaving any time soon both have already signed up for another year at least. Since they reunited in August on Broadway, Lee and Kelly have begun creating their own stories: They performed for President Barack Obama, and were on stage for a matinee the day Charlie Sheen later melted down in a posh New York hotel. "I love playing the role and I think I fit it very well, so you kind of go, 'Let's ride it out."' I get to do everything that I personally think I'm good at," he says. "I've never played a role that I get to basically show off so much in. The Broadway show also enlarged his family: He and his wife, Emily Harvey, an actress who had been on the "Mary Poppins" tour, just celebrated the birth of their first child. He performed at the Tony Awards, where he was also nominated and appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Conan O'Brien. He took the chimney sweep to Broadway in 2006 and then went on a U.S. "Although I loved all those experiences, in a way its given me freedom to appreciate what I really have now." I wanted a change for a bit to see what else was around," says Kelly. "I just felt like I wanted to change a little because I had done West End leads for six years. She appeared in "Speed-the-Plow" in London with Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Spacey, did the film "Sweeney Todd" with Johnny Depp and released a debut CD, "The Storm Inside." Some 18 months later, Kelly left to pursue other projects. With a big cast, great songs, lavish sets and stunts that include Mary flying with her umbrella and Bert tap dancing upside-down, the show was a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious hit. Travers and the beloved 1964 movie starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, tells the story of the world's most practically perfect nanny in Edwardian London. The Disney show, based on the children's books by P.L. ![]() ![]() They did: The Poppins musical that opened in the West End in 2004 eventually earned each an Olivier Award nomination, Britain's equivalent of Broadway's Tonys. Kelly was flown to London from New York, where she was making her Broadway debut in "Fiddler on the Roof," to see if she and Lee had chemistry. Lee's West End credits included roles in "Crazy for You," "Peggy Sue Got Married," "Oklahoma!" and "Contact." Kelly was already an established star in London - she had appeared in "Beauty and the Beast," "Les Miserables, "Mamma Mia!" and "My Fair Lady" - when she won the part of Mary. The duo have taken different paths to arrive together again. ![]() "I think that's why we're such a good team," she says. "You're the rock, which means I can be the water." "You are very solid," Kelly tells Lee at one point. Compliments between them seep out easily. Both British-born, Kelly, 29, is even doing something very Poppins-ish: sipping tea. That's why the Broadway version of "Mary Poppins" is unusual - it boasts not one, but two originators.ĭuring a joint interview in Lee's cozy dressing room at the New Amsterdam Theatre, the two are as chummy as old friends can be. Getting to see an original cast member in a big blockbuster musical six years after his or her debut is as likely these days as hitting the lottery. "It's amazing what this story has brought into our lives," says Lee. "I'm having more fun than ever," says Kelly. Laura Michelle Kelly, who originated the role as the magical nanny in 2004, is about to celebrate the musical's fourth anniversary on Broadway this month alongside Gavin Lee, the original Bert. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.NEW YORK - Mary Poppins just couldn't stay away from her chimney sweep. ![]() Role Actor Mary Poppins: Lydia Davis: Herbert Bert Alfred: Isaac Forristall. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). Return to Mary Poppins main page denotes CAP mainstage debut. She’ll also need a fair bit of magic and help from the loveable Bert, who is far more than just a chimney sweep.ĭisney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins Jr. She’ll need more than just a “spoonful of sugar” to help this family take a dose of common sense. In 1910 England, the most essential fixture in any family’s home is the nanny, but with kids like Jane and Michael, the Banks family just can’t seem to keep one! That is until the practically perfect Mary Poppins drops in. This year’s Kids4Kids show is a beloved classic: Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins Jr. New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe Based on the stories of P.L Travers and the Walt Disney Film
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