| The Addams Family musical is based on the original Addams Family characters, created by Charles Addams’s cartoons that depict a ghoulish American family; it opened on Broadway in April 2010. |
History |
Mary Poppins: The Musical premiered in 2004 in the West End of London (natch) with the familiar story of a magical nanny, but it pays close attention to the original book as well as to the classic Disney film. |
| Sara Gettelfinger stars as Morticia, a role originally played on Broadway by Tony Award–winning Bebe Neuwirth (yes, Frasier Crane’s wife). |
Leading lady |
Rachelle Wallace stars as Mary Poppins, who was originally played by Laura Michelle Kelly in London — winner of the 2005 Olivier Award for her performance. |
| Choreographer Sergio Trujillo, who also worked on Jersey Boys, was born in Colombia but was raised in Toronto, earning a bachelor of science degree at the University of Toronto. |
Canadian content |
The Toronto engagement features 12 Canadian performers, the most famous of which is the superb Blythe Wilson. |
Show authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elise wrote the wonderful Jersey Boys book that was a smash hit in Toronto. Brickman also co-authored three of Woody Allen’s best comedies.
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Did you know? |
Producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh tracked down the original author of the Mary Poppins books, P. L. Travers, back in the 1990s and convinced her to sell him the rights in perpetuity for $75,000. Not a bad deal. |
| “Uproarious! A glitzy-gloomy musical entirely worthy of the macabre drawings by Charles Addams.” — John Simon, Bloomberg News |
Good critics |
“Poppins comes to earth with a purpose, and that isn’t to look pert, sing pretty songs and share side-trips with a chimney sweep but to re-educate a family in trouble” — Benedict Nightingale, Times of London |
| “Being in this genuinely ghastly musical … must feel like going to a Halloween party in a strait-jacket or a suit of armor. Sure, you make a flashy (if obvious) first impression. But then you’re stuck in the darn thing for the rest of the night.…” — Ben Brantley, the New York Times |
Bad critics |
“If this sanitizing of the exotic in “Mary Poppins” makes it more digestible for young children, it also makes it less arresting for adults.” — Ben Brantley, the New York Times. |
| The Addams Family runs Nov. 16 to 27 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, www.dancaptickets.com. |
The details |
Mary Poppins runs at the Princess of Wales Theatre from Nov. 12 to Jan. 8, 2012, www.mirvish.com. |
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