By Jeff Rummer, DCPA employee

This morning I read the Mary Poppins article in The Denver Post and noted the ending quote from Gavin Lee the actor who plays Bert, the chimney sweep:

Ashley Brown played Mary Poppins on Broadway with co-star Gavin Lee, as Bert. Now playing Mary is Caroline Sheen, star of the original U.K. touring production. (Joan Marcus )

“I believe Mary Poppins, of all the Disney shows, has a bit more meat to it because this is a real story about a family that just cannot connect.  I always say it’s not a show about a flying nanny. It’s a show about this family that needs something or someone to come along and fix them, and put them back together,” Lee said. “And 40 years on, how relevant is it that today, when we have kids doing terrible things at the schools with guns, or, less important, who sit at home and watch videos all day?  This about a dad who is about to lose his job at the bank, and how cool it is that they all go out for the day together and fly a kite.”

For me this quote brings into focus the reason why I love Mary Poppins…there is joy in life (if you look for it) and things can be fixed.  This might seem a little too philosophical.  Especially when I think we all fell in love with the story because of the songs and the magic of a flying nanny and might not have ever thought about the deeper moral message.  That depth of message though is why MP is still relevant to me today as an adult.  You have to love Mary’s ability to be lighthearted in the face of troubles, and balance responsibility with an easy going attitude and a spoonful of sugar.

We are all painfully aware of the recent school shooting at Deer Creek Middle School, which just reminds us of the other troubles in our lives: broken families, unemployment and economic realities.  I think we might all secretly wish for the spring breeze blow a magical nanny into our schools, families, jobs and Washington, DC to mend all the messes and make things whole.  But the interesting thing about Mary Poppins is that she doesn’t just fix things…she teaches and empowers the Banks family, and us, to take responsibility for our own lives and to see the magic in the ordinary.

The world can be a better place and we have the power to make it so.  I hope that we can all rediscover the wonder of Mary Poppins and be reminded of the magic and joy of sidewalk chalk and kites.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_14464675#ixzz0gfCKxT0M

P.S.  For those who need a little Mary Poppins in their lives, tickets are 30% off for select seats and performances.  Just enter code CHIMNEYSWEEP when ordering online  or by calling 303.893.4100.  Hurry – this offer won’t last.

Popularity: 8% [?]