Articles Tagged With: Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins at The St. Demetrios’ Suburban Players

Reviews February 11, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

If you reach for the stars, all you get are the stars, but The Suburban Players of St. Demetrios have found a whole new spin! They have reached for the heavens— and they got the stars thrown in! Their current production of Mary Poppins is heartwarming, impressive, loaded with love and with talent, and above all it’s— Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! That fantastical nonsense word which means great joy, fantabulosity, and all things wonderfully excellent! Produced by Smaro Cook &

Spit Spot & Practically Perfect: An Interview with Suzi Eldridge & Jim Gross on Mary Poppins at Suburban Players

Interviews February 7, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

Illusions may shatter, but memories stay… important lessons learned are all along the way! No strangers to Poppins, they’re giving their thanks! It’s Jim Gross and Suzi Eldridge— playing Mr. and Mrs. Banks! In a tale of what almost was once upon a time, these two area actors finally get to play opposite one another— this time for St. Demetrios’ Suburban Players— as the matriarch and patriarch of the Banks’ family in Mary Poppins.

Spit Spot & Practically Perfect: An Interview with Tammy Oppel on Mary Poppins at Suburban Players

Interviews January 30, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

Brimstone and treacle and cod liver oil! Those are the tricks of her trade! A far cry from the syrupy, sweet, spoonful-of-sugar-style nanny, Miss Andrew is on the scene! Continuing on in our practically perfect interview series with the Suburban Players’ cast of Mary Poppins, we’ll have a chat with Tammy Oppel about playing the nasty and nefarious Miss Andrew, foil to Mary Poppins herself and villain extraordinaire in the musical.

So excited to get to chat with you,

Spit Spot & Practically Perfect: An Interview With Erin, Nora, Evelyn, and Maeve Acerno on performing together in Mary Poppins

Interviews January 23, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

S-u-p-e-r…

c-a-l-i-f…

r-a-g-i-l…

i-s-t-i-c-e-x-p-i-a-l-i-d— o-d-i-o-u-s!!!

Everybody now! Okay, well, not everybody— but a fantastic group of four ensemble members— for sisters, to be exact. It isn’t very often that one is fortunate enough to get to a show with one family, let alone get to be in the same show with all four siblings! How very— Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is that!? We took some time, continuing on after speaking with the young actors who play Jane &

Spit Spot & Practically Perfect: An Interview with Bella Comotto & Elijah Tsakalos with The Suburban Players’ Mary Poppins

Interviews January 14, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

In every job that must be done there is an element of fun! And what job could be more fun then getting to be Jane and Michael Banks in Mary Poppins? TheatreBloom was given the exclusive chance to sit down and chat with Miss Bella Comotto and Mr. Elijah Tsakalos, currently playing Jane & Michael Banks (respectively) in the upcoming production of the St. Demetrios’ Suburban Players’ Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins at Howard County Summer Theatre

Reviews July 1, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Stretch your mind beyond fantastic! Dreams are made of strong elastic! And Howard County Summer Theatre is living up the dream of a practically perfect production with their 2017 showing of Mary Poppins. Proudly wearing the badge of honor of Howard County’s imaginatively theatrical free-thinkers, Director Tom Sankey is certainly a person who sees beyond his blinkers! This show is amazing! This show is fantastic! This show far exceeds the community theatre standards and expectations of a main-stage Broadway-scale Disney musical.

Mary Poppins at 2nd Star Productions

Reviews June 9, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther 3 Comments

They’re practically perfect, in every way! Almost practically perfect, that’s what we say! Mary Poppins popping up on the Bowie Playhouse Stage by way of 2nd Star Productions. Directed by Fred Nelson with Musical Direction by Sandy Melson Griese, this charming and quaint little Disney ditty is a lovely offering for the summertime. Anything can happen if you let it and they’re letting anything and everything happen on that stage; well, practically,

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Andre Hinds and Sophie Schulman

Interviews August 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

They say the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice, and Seaweed J. Stubs is here to run and tell that alongside Miss Penny Lou Pingleton, who has found her blue-eyed soul after meeting Seaweed! Continuing on the You Can’t Stop the Beat interview series, TheatreBloom sits down with Andre Hinds and Sophie Schulman to talk about Seaweed and Penny.

Thank you both for taking a moment and sitting with us! If you could give us a brief introduction of who you are,

Review: Mary Poppins at LIVE! @ Harford Community College

Reviews June 16, 2016 Tommy Malek

Time to grab your spoon full of sugar and head over to The Phoenix Festival Theater’s latest undertaking, Mary Poppins the Musical. Disney’s magical nanny is at it again and ready to provide a jolly holiday for believers of all ages! Directed and Choreographed by Kim Brueggemann, this production, while exhibiting some welcome bursts of charming energy (mainly during dance routines) overall feels under-speed. I attribute most of the clunkiness to the book of this musical (one I’ve seen now about three or four times),

Rachel Miller (center) as Mrs. Corry and the ensemble of Mary Poppins performing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"

Review: Mary Poppins at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland

Reviews December 12, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Just a spoonful of sugar is all it takes! And the Children’s Playhouse of Maryland doesn’t just have a spoons— they’ve got the whole bloomin’ bottle of fantastical holiday magic all shaken up and ready to explode all over their audience with their production of Mary Poppins. It’s superb! It’s stupendous! Why, it’s— Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt with Musical Direction by Sherry Benedek, this marvelous musical features the finest young musical talent this side of Baltimore taking on the Herculean task of a Disney musical.

Review: Mary Poppins at September Song

Reviews August 1, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Anything can happen if you let it! And often times all you need is just a spoonful of sugar, because it turns water into tea and cakes or in this case transforms ordinary people in a simple theatre into an extraordinary characters in a fantastical musical. Floating in for their annual summer musical, September Song welcomes 2015 with their production of Mary Poppins. Directed by Debbie Mobley, with Musical Direction by Rachel McCusker,

The cast in its entirety of 1776 at Toby's Dinner Theatre

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with MaryKate Brouillet and Santina Maiolatesi

Interviews June 6, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Pins. Saltpeter. Does love and marriage have a place in pre-revolutionary America? One had better hope so otherwise Abigail Adams and Martha Jefferson will serve no purpose in Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards’ 1776. In the sixth installment of Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall, TheatreBloom sits down with Santina Maiolatesi and MaryKate Brouillet, the only two female performers in 1776 to find out what it’s like to be a part of the independency revolution as a woman.

The cast of Bachelorette at Dominion Stage

Dishing the Dirt: An interview with Maura Hogan on Dominion Stage’s Bachelorette

Interviews May 11, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

When your friends are really your enemies you get the modern-coined phrase “freinemies.” And when Bridesmaids meets Mean Girls you get Bachelorette now playing at Dominion Stage for a limited engagement. TheatreBloom takes a minute to get inside one of these zany character’s brains by sitting down with actress Maura Hogan to get her perspective on the show.

If you could introduce yourself to our readers, we’ll get started!

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with David James and Matthew Hirsh

Interviews May 6, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Hey, hey! Momma, look sharp. For you might just find two of Toby’s cast members of their current production of 1776 sitting down with TheatreBloom to talk about Independence Hall from the inside out. In Part Two of Inside Independence Hall, we sit down with Matthew Hirsh and David James to discuss the importance of the battlefield briefs being delivered to congress as they debate on the most important decision of our country’s history.

Move Toward the Darkness: Part 7 Meet Gomez Addams

Interviews April 14, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s family first and family last and family by and by! When you’re an Addams? You do what Addams’ do or die! Finishing out the Move Toward the Darkness interviews, we bring the series to a close with the patriarch of the family, Gomez Florencia Addams. Toby’s Co-Artistic Director is back to the stage after nearly a year’s acting hiatus and is loving every minute of what this creepy and kooky papa character has to offer.

Move Toward the Darkness: Part 5 Meet Wednesday and Lucas

Interviews March 18, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

A secret in the house: a girl, a boy, a ring! Wednesday’s growing up— she’ll be Thursday before you know it! And she’s got herself a secret! His name Lucas Beineke and he comes from the “Normies.” Watch out, Addams family, there’s a whole lot of normal coming your way! In Part 5 of “Move Toward the Darkness” we sit down with MaryKate Brouillet and AJ Whittenberger to psychoanalyze the deep dark hole that is the love between Wednesday Addams and Lucas Beineke.

Move Toward the Darkness: Part 4 Meet the Beinekes

Interviews March 3, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

They’re normal people, not like you, not like me. Well, not exactly normal. One’s uptight and really boring, and the other one has rhyming poems that just sprout up through her whenever she feels stressed or blessed. But at least they’re not zombie butlers or dating the moon, right? In Part 4 of the Move Toward the Darkness interview series, we meet the Beineke Family— Mal and Alice— played by Darren McDonnell and Elizabeth Rayca respectively.

Move Toward the Darkness Part 2: Meet Lurch

Interviews February 22, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

You rang? Though you won’t hear the iconic TV series line from this butler, Lurch is still a prominent feature in The Addams Family musical over at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Continuing on in Part 2 of the “Move Toward the Darkness” interview series, we are introduced to seasoned stage veteran David Bosley-Reynolds, who takes on the zombie-butler role with a unique panache all his own.

Let’s start off by introducing our readers to you.

Move Toward the Darkness Part 1: Meet Addams ensemble Member Julia Lancione

Interviews February 17, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

When you’re an Addams you need to have a taste for death! And there is plenty to taste over at Toby’s Dinner Theatre with their regional premier of Andrew Lippa’s The Addams Family musical. In a highly comical musical that reanimates the classic comic strip characters, this brilliant production sends the message to embrace your inner darkness and enjoy the world outside the boundaries of normal. What is normal anyway? In an exclusive series entitled “Move Toward the Darkness” readers of TheatreBloom will delve into the darkness with the cast of The Addams Family and find out just what being a part of this creepy and kooky production is like!

Jeffrey Shankle as Bert (center) tapping through "Step in Time"

Over the Rooftops: A Step-in-time Interview with Jeffrey Shankle

Interviews January 15, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Brush away the dirt and soot and get ready to go over the rooftops with Toby’s veteran performer Jeffrey Shankle as he gives the readers of TheatreBloom an exclusive interview on what it’s like playing one of the most magical roles of his performing career. Shankle, currently involved in Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia regional premier of Mary Poppins the Disney musical, is playing Bert, the loveable jack-of-all-trades chimney sweep who reminds us anything can happen if we let it as he narrates the tale of the Banks family and their involvement with the infamous flying nanny title character.

Review: Mary Poppins at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia

Reviews December 18, 2014 Amanda N. Gunther

This Christmas season is a jolly holiday indeed over at Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia as they serve up true theatrical magic at its finest with their production of Disney’s Mary Poppins. Making its regional debut with original music by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman; new songs, music, and lyrics provided by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, and book by Julian Fellowes this wondrous production brings all the magic one needs for a practically-perfect holiday and an exceptionally spirited new year.