Strallen and Fiorentino Join MARY POPPINS as 'Mary' and 'Bert' Tonight 10/9

Producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to welcome Olivier-nominee Scarlett Strallen and Adam Fiorentino (in their Broadway debuts as Mary Poppins and Bert, respectively), to the company of the award-winning musical Mary Poppins, beginning tonight, Thursday, October 9 at the New Amsterdam Theatre (214 West 42nd Street).

Strallen starred as Mary Poppins in the London West End production in the fall of 2005, and had such a success that she later returned to the part in spring of 2007. An original cast member of the London productions of Mamma Mia! and The Witches of Eastwick, Strallen garnered a 2006 Olivier nomination for her role as Josephine in HMS Pinafore. Fiorentino made his theatrical stage debut in the Australian tour of The Boy from Oz at the age of seventeen. He originated the starring role of Tony Manero in the Australian Premiere of Saturday Night Fever and later reprised the role on London's West End to critical acclaim.

As previously announced, original Broadway stars Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins) and Gavin Lee (Bert), will reprise their roles, headlining the highly anticipated Mary Poppins North American tour, scheduled to begin performances at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre on March 11, 2009. The entire original creative team will reunite to bring this magical story of the world's most famous nanny to audiences across the US and Canada. After Chicago, the tour is scheduled to play The State Theatre in Cleveland, The Fox Theatre in St. Louis, and The Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, with additional cities, venues and dates to be announced. Ticketing and more information for the tour can be found online at www.MaryPoppinsTour.com.

Brown and Lee played their final Broadway performance in Mary Poppins on Sunday, October 5. 

The cast of Mary Poppins also features: Daniel Jenkins (Mr. Banks), Rebecca Luker (Mrs. Banks), Jane Carr (Mrs. Brill), Ann Arvia (Bird Woman), Mark Price (Robertson Ay), Ruth Gottschall (Miss Andrew) and Jeff Steitzer (Admiral Boom).

Mary Poppins recouped its entire Broadway investment in 52 weeks and firmly established itself as the most popular show from the 2006-2007 theatrical season. Consistently among the top-grossing shows on Broadway, the production will celebrate its two-year anniversary at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Sunday, November 16.

Simultaneously, the show's popularity grows around the globe. Following a successful three-year run (December 2004-January 2008) at the Prince Edward Theatre on London's West End, a UK tour of Mary Poppins commenced earlier this summer. The UK tour is currently performing to critical acclaim in Birmingham, with additional dates booked for Edinburgh, Manchester and Cardiff through April 2009. Mary Poppins will later make its Australian debut at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney in October 2009.

Mary Poppins, a co-production by 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 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 Mary Poppins creative team, with co-direction and choreography by Tony® and Olivier Award winner Matthew Bourne. Mary Poppins features set and costume design by Tony Award® winner Bob Crowley, co-choreography by Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear, lighting design by Howard Harrison, orchestrations by William David Brohn, music supervision by David Caddick, and music direction by Brad Haak.

Mary Poppins ticket prices range from $30-$120, and are available at DisneyOnBroadway.com, the New Amsterdam Theatre Box Office (214 West 42nd Street), Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling Ticketmaster's Disney on Broadway hotline at 866-870-2717. For group sales and information, please call 800-439-9000. Performance & holiday schedule varies, check online for current schedule (running time is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes.)

Scarlett Strallen (Mary Poppins) played the title role in the West End production of the show in fall of 2005, and later returned to the part in spring of 2007 (for which she received a WhatsonStage nomination). Scarlett has just finished playing Marion in The Music Man at the UK Chichester Festival Theatre. Prior to this, she played Miss A in David Mamet's The Shawl. Other stage credits include Anne Page in Merry Wives of Windsor for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Josephine in the New Shakespeare Company's production of HMS Pinafore (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), which earned her a 2006 Laurence Olivier nomination. Additional credits for the New Shakespeare Company include Cymbeline and Twelfth Night. Previous West End stage credits include Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium) and the original casts of Mamma Mia! (Prince Edward Theatre), The Witches of Eastwick (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane) and Peggy Sue Got Married (Shaftesbury Theatre). Scarlett had the honor of performing for Her Majesty the Queen as Mary Poppins, at Buckingham Palace for her 80th Birthday Celebration. She also appeared in the

feature film Beyond the Sea, directed by Kevin Spacey. Scarlett's voice can be heard on numerous audio books and animated projects. The title role in this production of Mary Poppins marks her Broadway debut. Visit scarlettstrallen.co.uk, for more information.

Adam Fiorentino (Bert). A native of Australia, Adam began his training at the Karen Curlis School of Dance and continued his studies at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. He made his theatrical stage debut in the Australian tour of The Boy from Oz at the age of seventeen. Adam enjoyed continued success on Australian stages with the hit shows Call Me Madam, Cats, Mamma Mia!, Grease, Footloose, and Leader of The Pack. Adam originated the starring role of Tony Manero in the Australian Premiere of Saturday Night Fever and reprised the role on London's West End to critical acclaim. His additional West End achievements include the roles of Nicky in I Sing, and Young Ben in Follies. His Australian television credits include Carlos in "The Tribe" for Network Ten, "Mother Knows Best" for The Nine Network and Casper Mack in the hit soap opera, "Neighbours." He also starred as Troy in "Hollyoaks: In The City" for the UK's Channel 4 and BBC America. Mary Poppins marks his Broadway debut. Visit adamjon.com, for more information.

Photo by Alastair Muir