Official: MARY POPPINS to Close on March 3, 2013; Next Stop Regional Licensing with First 8 Productions Set

BWW reported yesterday that Mary Poppins would close on Broadway this Spring, and now official word has come confirming that from Disney and Cameron Mackintosh.

The show 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.

Thomas Schumacher, producer and president Disney Theatrical Productions, said, "Mary Poppins has been a labor of love for Cameron, all of the show's brilliant creators and those of us at Disney Theatrical for over a decade. But the show's extraordinary success is due to the 500 plus actors, musicians and stagehands who have brought the show to magical life on Broadway and, most importantly, to the audiences who have fallen in love with Mary, Bert and the Banks family every night. We thank them and New York for six tremendous years."

Cameron Mackintosh said, "Bringing Mary Poppins to the Broadway stage with Tom & Disney has been a complete joy and I am thrilled that Mary has been able to inhabit the glorious New Amsterdam for over six years and is now playing overseas to ensure the medicine goes down in the most delightful way. 'Til we meet again."

The Broadway production stars Steffanie Leigh as Mary and Nic Dromard as Bert. Leigh has played the title role on Broadway since October 2011, one of only four actresses cast in the iconic title role during the entire Broadway run.

Meanwhile, two successive North American tours of Mary Poppins have garnered critical praise and achieved box office success over their four years. Combined, they have played 73 engagements in 67 cities throughout the US, Canada and Mexico and by the time the tour concludes in Anchorage, Alaska this June, will have played 34 states plus the District of Columbia. Now in Orlando through January 13th, the current tour is a Disney / Cameron Mackintosh / NETworks Presentation.

Internationally, the title has proven equally strong with the 7th replica production worldwide - and the first Spanish language production - recently beginning performances in Mexico City in November with future first class productions yet to be announced. Licensed productions have already played Hungary, Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Denmark and the Czech Republic to date, with upcoming productions scheduled in China, France, Japan, Iceland, Spain and The Philippines.

The next stage in the beloved title's evolution begins this year as Music Theatre International starts licensing to North American professional theatres. Already in high demand from theatres around the world, Mary Poppins will first be mounted at Drayton Place Entertainment - Dunfield Theatre in Ontario Canada this March with these theatres to follow: Tuacahn Amphitheatre (Ivins, UT), The MUNY (St Louis, MO), Music Theatre of Wichita (Wichita, KS), Maine State Music Theatre (New Brunswick, ME), Rainbow Stage (Winnipeg, Manitoba - CA), Coeur D'Alene Summer Theatre (Coeur D'Alene, ID), Marriotts Theatre (Lincolnshire, IL). Other upcoming productions will be announced.