MARY POPPINS Visits Ohio Theatre, 4//21

CAPA, Broadway Across America, and producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Columbus engagement of MARY POPPINS. Columbus' most eagerly anticipated stage production will begin performances at the Ohio Theatre on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, May 8, 2011. Opening night is Thursday, April 21, at 7:30pm.

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 $521 million and welcomed 7 million guests and cumulatively run 11.5 years. The musical is the winner of 26 major theatre awards around the globe, including Tony®, Olivier and Evening Standard awards.

The entire original creative team has reunited to bring this magical story of the world's most famous nanny to audiences around North America. The MARY POPPINS North American tour began performances on March 25, 2009, and has played to 1.5 million delighted theatergoers in 23 cities to date.

Steffanie Leigh, who previously understudied the title role in the touring production, will star as "Mary Poppins" while original Broadway company member Nicolas Dromard will assume the role of "Bert."

Leigh, a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, has previously been seen on stage in productions of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Beauty and the Beast, 42nd St., Into the Woods, Grease, Mame, and Les Misérables.

Leigh will appear alongside original Broadway company member Nicolas Dromard who plays the affable chimney sweep, "Bert." 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 the Stratford Festival of Canada and the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

Joining Leigh and Dromard will be Michael Dean Morgan as "George Banks." Morgan's previous stage credits include Disney's The Lion King, The Mystery of Mrs. Shakespeare, and Disney's Finding Nemo. "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." 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.

Q. Smith will play "Miss Andrew." Smith's stage credits include Fame on 42nd Street, Smokey Joe's Café, Aida, Joseph...Dreamcoat, and the Broadway production of Les Misérables. "The Bird Woman" will be played by Janet MacEwen who has appeared in the Broadway and touring productions of Beauty and the Beast, as well as in productions of Anne of Green Gables, Cats, Les Misérables, Suds!, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Evita, Mamma Mia!, and Jacques Brel. "Admiral Boom" will be portrayed by Michael McCarty, a stage veteran whose Broadway credits include MARY POPPINS, To Be Or Not To Be, Oklahoma!, 42nd Street, Sweeney Todd, Big River, Teddy & Alice, Oliver!, Amadeus, King Of Hearts, and Dirty Linen.

Performances in the role of "Jane Banks" will be alternated between Camille Mancuso and Marissa Smoker. Mancuso's previous theatre credits include the national tours of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, White Christmas, and Little House on the Prairie. Smoker is making her national tour debut and was recently seen in regional productions of Annie Get Your Gun, Radio Girl, A Christmas Carol, The Secret Garden, Annie, Les Misérables, and The Sound of Music. Performances in the role of "Michael Banks" will be alternated between Talon Ackerman and Tyler Merna. Ackerman has previously appeared in the stage productions of Disney's Tarzan, CATS, The Secret Garden, Sleepy Hollow, and Our Town. Merna is making his national tour debut and has recently appeared on stage in the Off-Broadway productions of Shine! and Afterlight.

Rounding out the cast are Jacob ben Widmar, Kiara Bennett, Troy Edward Bowles, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Arielle Campbell, Debra Cardona, Eric Coles, Carol Angeli Dillard, Case Dillard, Elizabeth Earley, Geoffrey Goldberg, Mark Harapiak, Eric Hatch, Garett Hawe, Tiffany Howard, Lisa Kassay, Sam Kiernan, Koh Mochizuki, Shua Potter, Chuck Rea, Nick Sanchez, Jesse Swimm, Jen Taylor, Rachel Wallace, and Michelle E. White.

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 Daniel Bowling.

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 UK tour.

The Broadway production of MARY POPPINS officially opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 16, 2006, recouping its initial Broadway investment within 52 weeks of its premiere in 2006. MARY POPPINS is the only show from the 2006-07 theatrical season still in performance.

The MARY POPPINS North American tour has garnered continuous critical praise and achieved box office success since its launch in Chicago in March 2009.

MARY POPPINS can also be seen in Scheveningen, Netherlands (outside of Amsterdam at the Circus Theatre), Melbourne, Australia (at Her Majesty's Theatre through April 1st), and Sydney, Australia (at the Capitol Theatre, opening May 5th). Productions of MARY POPPINS have also been mounted in Finland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

In Columbus, MARY POPPINS will play April 20 through May 8, Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 1pm and 6:30pm. There will also be a 2pm matinee on Thursday, May 5. Ticket prices start as low as $22.50. Special VIP Ticket Packages are available at select performances, and include premium seating and a complimentary souvenir program. Tickets are available at the Ohio Theatre Box Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. Orders for groups of 20 or more may be placed by calling (614) 719-6900.

The Columbus engagement of MARY POPPINS is presented by arrangement with CAPA and Broadway Across America, and is a 2010-11 season subscription offering.

For more information, please visit MaryPoppins.com or www.capa.com

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