Sheen, Lee Headline Cast Of MARY POPPINS At The Fox, Opens 4/29

Producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher are pleased to announce full casting for the Atlanta engagement of MARY POPPINS. Atlanta's most eagerly anticipated stage production will begin performances at the Fox Theatre on Thursday, April 29 for a limited engagement of 3 weeks through Sunday, May 16. The opening night is Friday, April 30 at 8 p.m.

The entire original creative team has reunited to bring this magical story of the world's most famous nanny to audiences around North America. Since the tour's launch in Chicago in March 2009, MARY POPPINS has earned continuous critical praise and box-office success. The show is currently playing at the Buell Theatre in Denver through Sunday, April 4.

Original UK Tour star Caroline Sheen will reprise her role as "Mary Poppins" while original London and Broadway star Gavin Lee will assume the role of "Bert."

Caroline Sheen makes her U.S. stage debut in the North American Tour after earning rave reviews from the UK press including The Herald (Plymouth, UK) who called her, "the perfect embodiment of the outwardly prim nanny with the free-thinking mind." Sheen, who was born in Wales, has appeared on stage in a wide variety of other leading roles in the West End and UK including The Light in the Piazza, Once in a Lifetime, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Grease, Les Miserables, The Witches of Eastwick and Mamma Mia! Sheen is appearing with the support of Actors' Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

Gavin Lee made his Broadway debut with MARY POPPINS after originating the role of "Bert" in the world premiere production in London's West End. Lee received critical acclaim for his portrayal of "Bert", both in NY and London, and was the recipient of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor. Lee also received Tonyâ, Outer Critic Circle and Olivier Award nominations for Best Actor. His London theatre credits include Peggy Sue Got Married, Contact, Oklahoma!, Sondheim's Saturday Night, Crazy For You, and Me and My Girl. In addition, he has appeared in the recent film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera and Beyond The Sea.

Joining Sheen and Lee will be Laird Mackintosh as "George Banks." Mr. Mackintosh has performed several leading roles in Canada including The Drowsy Chaperone, White Christmas, Arcadia and Phantom of the Opera. "Winifred Banks" will be played by Blythe Wilson who joins the production after appearing on stage in The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia!, Oklahoma, and Three Penny Opera.

Rachel Izen will portray "Mrs. Brill." Ms. Izen is making her North American Tour debut having appeared in numerous London West End productions including A Chorus Line, Chicago, Guys and Dolls, Singin' in the Rain, Beauty and the Beast, Annie and Thoroughly Modern Mille. Dennis Moench, who will play "Robertson Ay," was recently seen in the Broadway production of MARY POPPINS and has also appeared in the All Shook Up National Tour and Off-Broadway in Altar Boyz and Fame.

Ellen Harvey will play "Miss Andrew." MS. Harvey's Broadway credits include The Music Man and Thou Shalt Not and she has appeared in the National Tours of Disney's High School Musical, Mamma Mia, Doctor Dolittle, and Sunset Boulevard. "The Bird Woman" will be played by Mary VanArsdel, who has appeared in productions of Cole Porter's Paris, Mass, Camelot (with Jeremy Irons), 110 In the Shade, and Gypsy. "Admiral Boom" will be portrayed by Mike O'Carroll, a stage veteran whose past credits include White Christmas, Fiddler on the Roof, Showboat, Will Rogers Follies, Henry IV, Inherit the Wind, and Ragtime.

Performances in the role of "Jane Banks" will be alternated between Katie Balen and Bailey Grey. Ms. Balen is making her national tour debut with "Mary Poppins" and has recently been seen in regional productions of "Oklahoma!," "Grease" and "Willie Wonka." Ms. Grey is also making her national tour debut with "Mary Poppins" and her previous stage credits include roles in "Seussical" and "A Christmas Carol." Performances in the role of "Michael Banks" will be alternated between Bryce Baldwin and Carter Thomas. Mr. Baldwin is making his national tour debut with "Mary Poppins" and has previously appeared in the stage productions of "A Christmas Carol," "Richard III," "The Music Man" and "The Will Rogers Follies." Mr. Thomas has recently appeared in the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" with The Rockettes, "Oliver," "South Pacific," "Peter Pan" and "A Christmas Carol."

Rounding out the cast are Tia Altinay, Carol Angeli, Jacob ben Widmar, Gail Bennett, Kiara Bennett, Troy Edward Bowles, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Jonathan Brody, Kate Chapman, Elizabeth Earley, Michael Gerhart, Geoffrey Goldberg, Emily Harvey, Tiffany Howard, Kelly Jacobs, Sam Kiernan, Brian Letendre, Vanessa McMahan, Koh Mochizuki, Shua Potter, Dominic Roberts, Nick Sanchez, Q. Smith, Jesse Swimm and Tom Souhrada.

MARY POPPINS, a co-production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, opened on Broadway on November 16, 2006. Based on P.L. Travers' cherished stories and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, MARY POPPINS the stage play features the Academy Award®-winning music and lyrics of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The stage production has been created, in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh, by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who has written the book, and the Olivier Award-winning team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, who have composed new songs and additional music and lyrics.

Olivier Award-winning director Richard Eyre leads the award-winning creative team, with co-direction and choreography by Tony® and Olivier Award winner Matthew Bourne. MARY POPPINS features set and costume design by TonyÒ Award winner Bob Crowley, co-choreography by Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear, lighting design by Howard Harrison, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and music supervision by David Caddick. The tour's creative team includes Tour Director Anthony Lyn, Associate Choreographer Geoffrey Garrett, and Music Director James Dodgson.

ABOUT MARY POPPINS WORLDWIDE

MARY POPPINS is one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge from London or New York in recent years. Worldwide to date, MARY POPPINS has grossed over $392 million and has welcomed over 5.3 million guests.

Consistently among Broadway's top-grossing shows, MARY POPPINS has played over 1400 performances since its official opening on November 16, 2006. Now in its fourth smash year at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York, the Broadway production has been seen by over two million theatergoers and grossed over $ 170 million to date, recouping its initial investment within 52 weeks of its premiere.

Not only do the Broadway show and the North American tour draw huge audiences, but the show's popularity also reaches around the globe. MARY POPPINS will premiere two major international productions in 2010: an open-ended run begins April 11 at the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen, Holland, outside of Amsterdam (presented by Stage Entertainment in association with Disney and Cameron Mackintosh) and an Australian production opens July 29 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. Additionally, during 2010 MARY POPPINS opens in Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Hungary, with plans already underway for future productions in Israel, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Korea, Canada and Japan. Following a successful three-year run in 2008 at the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End, a U.K. tour of MARY POPPINS commenced in summer 2008 and concluded its acclaimed run in Cardiff, Wales in April 2009.

The MARY POPPINS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR has garnered continuous critical praise and achieved box office success since its launch in Chicago in March 2009. Original UK touring company star, Caroline Sheen, reprises her role as "Mary Poppins" while original London and Broadway star, Gavin Lee, stars as "Bert." The tour will play the following venues and cities in 2010: Denver Center for the Performing Arts in Denver, CO; Aronoff Center in Cincinnati, OH; Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA; David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, FL; Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.; NC Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC; Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, IN; Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, NY and the Opera House in Detroit, MI. Future tour engagements to be announced.

In Atlanta, MARY POPPINS will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Matinees will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Ticket prices start as low as $19.50. Special VIP/Premium Ticket Packages are available at select performances, and include premium seating and a complimentary souvenir program. Tickets are currently available at the Fox Theater Box Office, and online at www.Ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets, call 1-800-982-2787. Orders for groups of 15 or more may be placed by calling 404-881-2000.

The Atlanta engagement of MARY POPPINS is presented by arrangement with Broadway Across America - Atlanta and is a subscription offering for the 2009-2010 season.

For more information, please visit MaryPoppins.com

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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