MARY POPPINS North American Tour Welcomes Nicolas Dromard as Bert

Producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions are pleased to announce that Nicolas Dromard will star as "Bert" in the North American Tour of MARY POPPINS, direct from playing the role on Broadway. Dromard replaces Gavin Lee, who will play his final performance in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Sunday, August 15 before returning to the Broadway production on Tuesday, August 24. Dromard joins the production in Indianapolis, IN where performances begin at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre on Thursday, September 23 for a limited engagement of 3 weeks through Sunday, October 10, 2010. The opening night is Friday, September 24 at 8:00pm.

Nicolas Dromard was a member of the original Broadway company of MARY POPPINS and recently played the role of "Fiyero" in the San Francisco production of Wicked. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dromard has also appeared in the Broadway productions of The Boy From Oz and Oklahoma! and originated roles in the Canadian productions of Mamma Mia! And Hairspray. Dromard also appeared in stage productions at Stratford Festival of Canada and the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

Dromard will join original UK Tour star Caroline Sheen who is reprising her role as "Mary Poppins." Sheen made 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.

Joining Sheen and Dromard will be Laird Mackintosh as "George Banks." Mr. Mackintosh has performed several leading roles in Canada including The Drowsy Chaperone, White Christmas, Arcadia and The 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 Camille Mancuso and Paige Simunovich. Ms. Mancuso's previous theatre credits include the national tours of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", "White Christmas", and "Little House on the Prairie." Ms. Simunovich was last seen on Broadway in "Finian's Rainbow" and in the national tours of "101 Dalmatians", "Wizard of Oz" and "Annie." Performances in the role of "Michael Banks" will be alternated between Talon Ackerman and Cade Canon Ball. Mr. Ackerman has previously appeared in the stage productions of "Disney's Tarzan", "Cats", "The Secret Garden", "Sleepy Hollow" and "Our Town." Mr. Ball has recently appeared on stage in productions of "Seussical", "A Christmas Carol" and "Sound of Music".
Rounding out the cast are Carol Angeli, Jacob ben Widmar, Kiara Bennett, Troy Edward Bowles, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Jonathan Brody, Debra Cardona, Case Dillard, Elizabeth Earley, Steffi Garrard, Michael Gerhart, Geoffrey Goldberg, Eric Hatch, Garett Hawe, Tiffany Howard, Kelly Jacobs, Sam Kiernan, Stephanie Martignetti, Koh Mochizuki, Shua Potter, Dominic Roberts, Nick Sanchez, Q. Smith, Jesse Swimm, Tom Souhrada and Jen Taylor.

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 Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C. through Sunday, August 22, 2010. The MARY POPPINS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR celebrated its first anniversary on March 25, 2010 and announced that it had achieved the milestone of being the most successful touring theatrical event in 2009.

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

With four productions currently running on three continents, MARY POPPINS is one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge from London or New York in recent years. Worldwide to date, the show has grossed over $430 million and welcomed 5.9 million guests.

The Broadway production of MARY POPPINS officially opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 16, 2006 and has been seen by over 2.4 million theatergoers and grossed $191 million to date. According to figures released by The Broadway League, MARY POPPINS placed on the Top Ten lists for both highest-grossing and best-attended shows of the 2009-10 Broadway season, an indicator of its remarkable success.

MARY POPPINS received its worldwide premiere at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End in December 2004. Following its successful three-year London run, the production launched an acclaimed U.K. tour. The MARY POPPINS North American tour has also garnered continuous critical praise and achieved box office success since its launch in Chicago in March 2009. In addition to Broadway and North America, MARY POPPINS can also be seen at the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen, Holland, outside of Amsterdam, and in Melbourne, Australia at Her Majesty's Theatre. Later this year, MARY POPPINS opens in Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Hungary, with plans underway for future productions in Israel, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Korea, Canada and Japan.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR SCHEDULE THROUGH JULY 2011

CITY/VENUE Performance Dates

Washington, D.C. - Kennedy Center Opera House July 1 - Aug 22, 2010

Charlotte - Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Aug 25 - Sept 12, 2010

Indianapolis - Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Sept 23 - Oct 10, 2010
Buffalo - Shea's Performing Arts Center October 14 - 31, 2010

East Lansing - Wharton Center for Performing Arts November 3 - 21, 2010

Des Moines - Civic Center of Greater Des Moines Nov 26 - Dec 12, 2010
Detroit - Opera House Dec 16, 2010 - Jan 2, 2011

Pittsburgh - Benedum Center Jan 5 - 23, 2011

Omaha - Orpheum Theatre Jan 27 - Feb 13, 2011

Boston - Opera House Feb 17 - March 20, 2011

Philadelphia - Academy of Music March 23 - April 17, 2011

Columbus - Ohio Theatre April 20 - May 8, 2011

Seattle - Paramount Theatre May 12 - 29, 2011

Sacramento - Community Center Theatre June 2 - 19, 2011

Portland - Keller Auditorium June 22 - July 10, 2011

Costa Mesa - Orange County Performing Arts Center July 14 - 31, 2011

In Indianapolis, MARY POPPINS will play the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m., Sunday matinees at 1:00 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. There will also be a Thursday matinee on September 23 at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices start as low as $22. Special Premium Ticket Packages are available at select performances, and include premium seating and a complimentary souvenir program. Tickets are available from an authorized ticket agent online at BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com, by phone at 1-800-982-2787 or in person at The Murat Box Office, Clowes Memorial Hall and the Broadway Across America Box Office downtown at 342 Massachusetts Avenue. Orders for groups of twenty (20) or more may be placed by calling 317-632-7469 x 103.
The Indianapolis engagement of MARY POPPINS is presented by arrangement with Broadway Across America - Indianapolis and is a subscription offering of the 2010-2011 Series.

For more information, please visit MaryPoppins.com

Photo credit: Robert Diamond