MARY POPPINS Plays Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Now thru Aug 5

Broadway Across Canada and producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh present MARY POPPINS, Calgary's most eagerly awaited stage production, beginning performances at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditoriumon tonight, July 31 at 8 p.m. for a limited engagement of one week through Sunday, August 5.

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 $644 million and welcomed 9.3 million guests. The musical is the winner of 44 major theatre awards around the globe, including Tony, Olivier, Helpmann 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 two million delighted theatergoers in 34 cities to date.

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 Tony 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 U.K. 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. MARY POPPINS is the only show from the 2006-2007 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 Sydney, Australia (at the Capitol Theatre). Productions of MARY POPPINS have also been mounted in Finland, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

In Calgary, Mary Poppins plays Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m.; Sunday matinee at 1:00pm and Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for Mary Poppins vary in range depending on performance, seat location, and date of purchase and start at $35.00. Performances run from July 31 – August 5, 2012 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Tickets go on-sale 10 a.m., Monday, June 4 through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or call toll-free 1.855.985.5000. Group orders for 10 or more may be placed by calling 1.800.889.8457.

Mary Poppins in Calgary, presented by Broadway Across Canada, is part of a three city tour in Canada including dates in Vancouver July 17-22, 2012 and Edmonton July 24-29, 2012.

For more information, visit MaryPoppins.com.