Winds in the East! MARY POPPINS JR. Now Available for Licensing Around the World

Music Theatre International (MTI), announced today that Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins JR. is now available for licensing around the world (certain international restrictions apply).

Inspired by one of the most popular Disney movies of all time and the beloved books of P.L. Travers, the internationally successful musical played over 2,500 performances on Broadway and received multiple Olivier and Tony Award nominations. Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins JR. features original music and lyrics by The Sherman Brothers, a book by Julian Fellowes, and new songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Mackintosh and President & Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions, Thomas Schumacher, shared a similar vision for bringing Mary to the stage that would merge the best of the books written by P.L. Travers and the Disney film into something new. The addition of book writer Julian Fellowes and new songs by composers Stiles and Drewe were "practically perfect," and the rest is musical theatre history.

Schumacher explains, "I'm thrilled to have Mary Poppins JR. join the wonderful collection of Disney titles at MTI. It seems like yesterday we first introduced the stage version of P.L. Travers' beloved characters to audiences around the world. This surprisingly contemporary story invites the next generation of theater-makers to perform the delightful Sherman brothers music and new songs by Stiles & Drewe to create their own versions of this cherished show."

"The continued worldwide success of Mary Poppins on stage has brought Pamela Travers' iconic nanny to huge new audiences across the globe. When Pamela entrusted me with her stories, she told me that she wrote them for all ages everywhere and thanks to Tom Schumacher, we have achieved her dream. Now I'm delighted that we have been able to distill the magic of this supercalifragilistic musical into a shortened version suitable for younger performers. The classic old songs and brilliant new ones that propel this timeless story ensure a magical experience for both performers and audiences alike. So step in time and fly your kites!" says Mackintosh.

The full-length musical has now been adapted into a 70-minute version of the show suited for the abilities of middle school-aged performers. MTI's Broadway Junior musicals supply students and teachers with additional resources to help them mount successful productions for young performers, including a Director's Guide, Accompaniment Tracks, and Choreography DVDs.

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's largest theatrical licensing agencies, granting schools, amateur groups, and professional theatres worldwide the rights to perform musicals from a catalogue of more than 400 titles, from Broadway, Off-Broadway, the West End and Hollywood. MTI works directly with composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to offer official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 theatrical organizations in the USA and in over 60 countries worldwide.

Conceived in 1996 by MTI CEO, Freddie Gershon, Broadway Junior musicals are condensed, author-approved versions of classic musicals, Disney favorites and modern works, custom-tailored to the needs of young people and schools.

MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City (mtishows.com), with additional offices in London (MTI Europe: mtishows.co.uk, mtishows.eu), and Melbourne (MTI Australasia: mtishows.com.au).