BWW Exclusive: MARY POPPINS Cast Memories- Dennis Moench

As the Broadway production of Mary Poppins comes to a close, we asked current and original principle cast members, as well as current cast members who have been with the show since day one, to share with us some memories and tell us what being a part of the magic has meant to them. Dennis Moench, who is the current 'Robertson Ay', shared:

Last April, we performed the show tailored specifically to an audience of autistic children and their families (as part of the Autism Theatre Initiative program launched by TDF). The curtain call for that show was overwhelming. The kids were so incredibly enthusiastic it moved many of the actors on stage to tears. I'd seen the show touch audiences more than 1,000 times by then... but this was different. It was the most meaningful and humbling moment I've ever had on a stage.

When I was very young, my family got our first VCR and, at the start, we only had two VHS tapes to watch: "Alice and Wonderland" and "Mary Poppins". I watched the Poppins video countless times and, like so many other kids who had seen the movie or read the books, I fell in love with her. So, I get it. When we come out of the stage door and there are oodles of children lined up to see the actress that played "Mary" in person... to actually MEET Mary Poppins... it's because they too have fallen in love. They truly LOVE her. To be IN the show and play a small part of that same story that I have loved all my life, a story about a character that is cherished by people around the world... I don't really have the words. It's awesome!

Mary Poppins will conclude Broadway run at The New Amsterdam Theatre Sunday, March 3, 2013 after 2619 performances and more than six years. With attendance totaling nearly four million guests, the show has been seen by more people in the last six years than any Broadway show except Wicked and The Lion King. Mary Poppins opened on Broadway in 2006, just two years after debuting in London's West End, where it had received nine Olivier Award nominations and won Olivier, Evening Standard and WhatsOnStage Awards. The Broadway production received 25 major theatrical award nominations, winning Tony and Drama Desk Awards.

Mary Poppins will rank as the 22nd longest-running show in Broadway history by the time its run is complete, ranking between Best Musical winners Hairspray and Avenue Q on the list of long runs. For tickets, visit: http://www.marypoppins.com/tickets