MARY POPPINS
directed by Jaye Barre of Basking Ridge
musical direction by John Birckhead
choreography by Alan Scott
WHEN: July 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25, at 8:00 pm
WHERE: Outdoor Amphitheater at Pleasant Valley Park, Valley Road (near the Veterans Hospital), Valley Road, Basking Ridge
ADMISSION: Free
Donations are gratefully accepted. Bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating.
For information, call 908.204.3003.
Mary Poppins tells a thoroughly entertaining story based upon the children’s books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film of the same name. The show opens with Bert (Alan Scott of of CenterReach, NY) introducing us to the residence at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, home of the Banks Family. Mr. Banks (Joseph Schmidt of Bedminister), Mrs. Banks (Danielle McMath of Bridgewater), and their two misbehaving children Jane ((Zoe Considine of Bernardsville) and Michael (Danielle Becht of Morris Township) are in desperate need of a new nanny. With the addition of a little magic, an advertisement for the perfect nanny brings Mary Poppins (Samantha Ferrara of Bernardsville, above) into their lives, along with the adventures of a lifetime.
Mary Poppins, with book by Julian Fellowes (of Downton Abbey fame), music and lyrics by the Academy Award-winning brothers, Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, opened in the West End in 2004, winning two Olivier Awards. It opened on Broadway in 2006 and ran for 2619 performances before closing in 2013. It garnered nine Tony nominations and one win, plus seven Drama Desk nominations with two wins. (Above: Alan Scott of CenterReach as Burt)
The production team includes Basking Ridge residents Lorrie Lane (Producer), Marilyn Gamba (Stage Manager), and Eileen McSweeney and Danielle McGuire (Props), while Beverly Webb will fly in from California to do Set Decoration and Costumes. The cast includes: Hank Barre, Danielle Becht, Todd Bennington, Sophia Blanchard, Tommy Blanchard, Johnny Citarelli, Samuel Cline, Zoe Considine, Peter Curley, Claire Dempsey, Sophia DeVille, Donna Lee Donelan, Sophia Donelan, Tom Donelan, Samantha Ferrara, Allison Hewitt, Mia Kissel Hewitt, Joanna Hoty Russell, Caitlin Iannella, Melissa Johnson, Lauren Kennedy, Cassandra Lindeblad, Nick Lobaina, John C. Lubarsky, Danielle McMath, Ileana McCabe, Ed McCarty, Germain McGrath, Caroline McKenna, Kathy Mierisch, Corey Pankow, Emma Peterson, Chuck Pisano, Rhonda Pisano, Bruce Plath, Clarissa Po, Katie Regner, Max Rodriguez, Matthew Sahadi, Micaela Sands, Joseph Schmidt, Alan Scott, Victoria Scott, Frank Skokan, Claire Taylor, Hannah Usadi, Emily Vagias, Hanna Wasserman, Laurie Wood, and Chloe Yu.
The partnership of Trilogy Repertory and Bernards Township has produced close to three decades of family entertainment and achieved several awards for both groups for excellence in theater programming. Most prominent are the awards from ACT (Achievement in Community Theater) and the prestigious “Excellence in Cultural Arts Programming.” “Mary Poppins” is made possible, in part, by support from New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
