Neshaminy Valley Music Theatre is presenting its 66th annual musical production Mary Poppins on April 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21, at Neshaminy High School, 2001 Old Lincoln Highway, Langhorne, Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. The production is directed/choreographed by Barrymore Award-nominated Stephen Casey, with a cast and production team of more than 60 Delaware Valley residents.
The Mary Poppins stage musical is based on Disney’s Academy Award-winning film, which in turn was based on the popular P.L. Travers books, with music by Richard and Robert Sherman, Anthony Drewe and George Stiles, and book by Julian Fellowes. While the stage musical is slightly different in plot from the film and includes new music, the story faithfully follows the magical nanny who arrives on the troubled Banks family’s doorstep in 1910 London.
In addition to the well-loved songs from the film, including “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” the stage musical adds new songs, such as “Precision and Order,” sung by the bank employees, “Playing the Game,” set in the nursery as Jane and Michael’s toys menacingly come to life, and “Anything Can Happen.”
Tara O’Connor, of Plymouth Meeting, is Mary Poppins; Will Augustin, of Lansdale, is Bert; Annabelle Capaldi, of Levittown, is Jane; and Trevin Davis, of Newtown, is Michael. Maddy O’Malley is rotating with them as both Jane and Michael. Jack Sariego, of Doylestown, who is also music director, plays George Banks, with Mary Tomson, of Fallsington, as his wife Winifred.
Producers of the show are Tom Urquhart, of Newtown, Joe Harris, of Trevose, and Mike Powell, of Horsham.
All participants on stage and behind the scenes are volunteers and include individuals who have performed professionally, along with those who have their first performance experience with NVMT.
NVMT was founded in 1956 and has been producing a musical each year since. The mission of the nonprofit theater group is to raise funds through these productions to award scholarships to graduating seniors of the Neshaminy School District who plan to continue their studies in the fine or performing arts in college. To date, the organization has awarded more than $170,000 in scholarships to 200 students.
It has received national recognition for its annual productions, including 32 nominations and seven wins from the International Music and Entertainment Awards.
Tickets for Mary Poppins are discounted at $26 general admission, $24 for seniors, $15 for youth 18 and under when purchased in advance, with a $2 additional charge at the door; $20 for groups of 15 or more (arranged in advance). Tickets are available at nvmt.org (online purchases include a service fee), emailing nvmt@verizon.net or calling 267-733-8876. Any ticket is good for any seat at any performance with Flex Tix, so that patrons can purchase a ticket now and decide later which performance to attend. Proceeds from ticket sales help to support the scholarship fund.
