Mary Poppins : the complete collection

643 Pages·2013·3.02 MB·English

by  P L Travers

Why You’ll Love This Book by Cameron Mackintosh
Mary Poppins delights in letting us know that she “never explains anything” and
yet the Banks family fall under her spell and other families all over the world are
put back together again by the world’s most famous nanny.
I fell in love with Mary Poppins and Julie Andrews in 1964, just after I left
school, when I went to see Walt Disney’s magical film. On reading the credits, I
realised the film was based on books by P.L. Travers which I then read avidly,
discovering that there were many more stories and characters than those in the
film. Her forthright, quirkily funny dialogue stayed with me, brought to life in
my head by Julie’s brilliant, no-nonsense delivery in the film. In the late 1970’s I
tried, like many other producers, to see if I could get the stage rights to Mary
Poppins – but to no avail. Over the years, I often used to think of Mary but it
wasn’t until 1993 when I was introduced to her creator, the formidable Pamela
Travers, that I found that she wouldn’t explain anything to me either. By then
Pamela was a frail, but extremely sharp, 93 year old lady, living in her Chelsea
house, in a street looking remarkably like Cherry Tree Lane, eyeing me up and
down, asking me lots of questions as she batted away my own. I felt like
Michael and Jane Banks, waiting to be told “you’ll do”.
After several meetings, Pamela decided that I really was interested in turning
her books into a stage musical, rather than just putting the film on stage –
something she had refused to allow for decades, wanting a new and different
score. Once Pamela decided I could be trusted with her great creation – though
she never admitted creating (a word she hated) Mary, or any of the other
characters, saying that “Mary just arrived” – I was in turn able to persuade her
that a stage musical could only be made by combining her stories with the key
songs from the film. Realising that I was probably her best chance to achieve her
long cherished dream of a stage musical, she agreed and I finally felt a musical
Mary might fly after all.
Mary Poppins is, and always will be, unique; stern, dependable, businesslike,
magical and yet eternally loveable. When Jane and Michael call out “we will
never forget you Mary Poppins” you know that though she has flown away, the
gift she has brought will remain for always and that Mary is genuinely happy
that her charges are now: “practically perfect and I hope it remains so”. Though
Pamela would never say where Mary came from, she did in fact give an answer
to the children when they asked Mary, “where is your home?” and Mary replies,
“My home is wherever I am”.
From the time Pamela entrusted me with the stage rights to her books it took
me several years to persuade Disney that a new musical could be created out of
both the books and the films key Sherman Brothers songs and during that time I
tried to piece together an outline for a dramatic structure that would make theatre
audiences want to come back for a second half. The answer of course lay with
Pamela herself. In the books Mary Poppins leaves the family twice and comes
back only until she’s no longer required. This gave me the clue where the
interval should be and enabled me to start putting the songs from the film into
new dramatic situations and decide which new songs would be needed. I
remember writing much of this treatment on the quayside by the Sydney Opera
House, not far from the Old Grand Opera House where Pamela had herself
danced and sung in her theatrical days. When I showed what I’d done to Tom
Schumacher, who had just become the new head of Disney’s Theatrical
production company in 2001, he presented me with armfuls of documents from
the Disney vaults written by Pamela herself and said, “It was amazing that I had
focused on many of the characters and episodes from the books that Travers
wanted included in the Mary Poppins film sequel that was never made”.
Whenever I was stuck for an idea, I would think, “What would Pamela do or
say”. By separating the film and stage rights, Pamela somehow managed from
beyond the grave to get Disney and I to work together and, with the enormous
contribution of a lot of talented people, especially Tom, the stage musical she
always wanted has now been created and has been miraculously embraced by
Disney, fans of her books, her friends, family, trustees, as well as new audiences
around the world. I like to think that Pamela would also say “it’ll do” as I have
no doubt that if she disapproved she would have somehow sent me her notes!
Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh has been producing shows for more than 40 years during
which time he has put on hundreds of productions around the world including
Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera – the three longest running
musicals of all time – and Miss Saigon. His other productions include the stage
musicals Mary Poppins with Disney, Little Shop of Horrors, Side by Side by
Sondheim, Follies, Martin Guerre, The Witches of Eastwick and acclaimed
international revivals of My Fair Lady, Oliver! and Oklahoma!. Cameron owns
seven theatres in London’s West End – the Prince of Wales, Gielgud, Queen’s,
Wyndham’s, Noël Coward, Novello and Prince Edward, nearly all of which have
undergone spectacular refurbishment. In 1995 his company received The
Queen’s Award for Export Achievement and he was knighted in the 1996 New
Year’s Honours for his services to British theatre. He is President of the Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and in 1990 he endowed the Chair of
Contemporary Theatre for a visiting professor at St Catherine’s College, Oxford,
where he is also an Honorary Fellow and Member of the Court of Benefactors.
In 2006 he received the national Enjoy England Award for Excellence for his
Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.
Contents
Why You’ll Love This Book
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins Comes Back
Mary Poppins Opens the Door
Mary Poppins in the Park
Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane
Mary Poppins and the House Next Door
Postscript
About the Author
Copyright
About the Publishers

To my
MOTHER
1875 – 1928
Contents
Dedication
East Wind
The Day Out
Laughing Gas
Miss Lark’s Andrew
The Dancing Cow
Bad Tuesday
The Bird Woman
Mrs Corry
John and Barbara’s Story
Full Moon
Christmas Shopping
West Wind