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West End Production of Mary Poppins Casting Update

Mary Poppins

Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Productions have announced the final adult casting for the new production of Mary Poppins which begins rehearsals in September and returns to its original West End home at the Prince Edward Theatre from 23 October 2019.

Joining Zizi Strallen in the title role, Charlie Stemp as Bert, Joseph Millson as George Banks and Petula Clark as the Bird Woman, are Amy Griffiths who will play Winifred Banks, Claire Moore as Miss Andrew, Claire Machin as Mrs Brill, Jack Northas Robertson Ay and Barry James as Bank Chairman and Admiral Boom.  Casting for the roles of Jane and Michael Banks will be announced at a later date.

The magical story of the world’s favourite Nanny arriving on Cherry Tree Lane has been triumphantly and spectacularly brought to the stage with dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs. The stage version of Mary Poppins, brilliantly adapted from the wonderful stories by PL Travers and the original beloved Walt Disney film, continues to be a smash hit around the world since its opening in London 15 years ago.

The ensemble comprises Yves Adang, Lydia Bannister, Angeline Bell, Lydia Boulton, Matt Cox, Adam Davidson, Katie Deacon, Danielle Delys, Joshua Denyer, Stan Doughty, Glen Facey, Davide Fienauri, Ian Gareth-Jones, Mark Goldthorp, Joanna Gregory, Catherine Hannay, Jacqueline Hughes, Jason Kajdi, Sam Lathwood, Jordan Livesey, Ceili O’Connor, Malinda Parris, Alex Pinder, Ben Redfern, Rachel Spurrell, Lucie-Mae Sumner, Rhys West and Monique Young.

The original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman include the classic songs Jolly Holiday, Step in Time, Feed the Birds and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  New songs and additional music are by the Olivier award-winning British team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Book is by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes and this production is co-created by Cameron Mackintosh.  The producer for Disney Theatrical Productions is Thomas Schumacher.

This production of Mary Poppins has orchestrations by William David Brohn with dance and vocal arrangements by George Stiles. It has a new sound design by Paul Gatehouse and new lighting by Hugh Vanstone and Natasha Katz. Co-choreography is by Stephen Mear. The reimagined set and costume designs are by Bob Crowley. Co-direction and choreography is byMatthew Bourne and direction by Richard Eyre.

The stage production of Mary Poppins originally opened in the West End in December 2004, running for over 1,250 performances. During this time, the production won two Olivier Awards and an Evening Standard Award. Subsequently the Tony Award®-winning Broadway production ran for over six years.

A subsequent new production of the show, adapted from the original, enjoyed record-breaking runs in Australia, North America, the UK and Ireland, New Zealand, Holland, Mexico, Austria, Switzerland, Dubai, Japan and Germany, where the production recently entered its second hit year in Hamburg. Mary Poppins is the biggest hit musical ever in Italy playing key seasons in Milan, and in October will open in Rome simultaneous with the London production.   Several further new productions are to open in Europe over the next three years.

The Prince Edward opening in October will be the first time the new production will be seen in London.

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Casting update for West End production of Mary Poppins

Petula Clark by Pip

Cameron Mackintosh and Disney have announced that Petula Clark and Joseph Millson will join the Company to play the Bird Woman and George Banks in the new production of Mary Poppins, which returns to its original West End home at the Prince Edward Theatre from 23 October 2019.  They join the previously announced Zizi Strallen in the title role and Charlie Stemp as Bert.

The magical story of the world’s favourite Nanny arriving on Cherry Tree Lane has been triumphantly and spectacularly brought to the stage with dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs. The stage version of Mary Poppins, brilliantly adapted from the wonderful stories by PL Travers and the original beloved Walt Disney film, continues to be a smash hit around the world since it opening in London 15 years ago.

 Petula Clark became a star in the UK at nine years old singing for the troops stationed in England during World War II.  Many years later she moved to France and soon became an European star recording in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.  While still living in Paris, English songwriter Tony Hatch presented her with his new composition, Downtown, which became a worldwide hit and led to a string of top ten records, winning her two Grammy awards and making her an international star.  She later met with Charlie Chaplin who penned one of her further major hits This Is My Song.  She has performed in her own TV shows in the UK, the US and France and has starred in the iconic films Finian’s Rainbow with Fred Astaire and Goodbye Mr. Chips with Peter O’Toole.  She has been seen on stage in West End and on Broadway, and has just finished a triumphant US tour.  During her extensive career spanning eight decades she sold over 70 million records.  Clark was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1998 and was installed as a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on France in 2012.

Joseph Millson’s extensive theatre credits include Apologia at Trafalgar Studios, The Rover for the Royal Shakespeare Company for which he won the Best Performance in a Play Award at the 2017 UK Theatre Awards, Mr Foote’s Other Leg at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe, Much Ado About Nothing, King John and the Spanish Golden Age Season for the RSC/West End, Rocket to the Moon, Pillars of the Community and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour for the National Theatre, Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre for which he won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical and The Priory for the Royal Court Theatre. His more recent television work includes Catch 22, Grantchester, Ransom, Banished, 24 Live Another Day, as well as regular roles in The Last Kingdom, Campus, Holby City and The Sarah Jane Adventures.  His film credits includeCasino Royale, I Give It A Year, All The Devils Men, Dragonheart Vengeance, Angel Has Fallen, No Vacancies, Burning Men, Tango One, The Dead 2 and Devil’s Bridge.

 Zizi Strallen’s previous theatre credits include Fran in Strictly Ballroom The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre, Follies at the National Theatre, Mary Poppins on tour in the UK, Ireland and in Dubai, Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man and Cinderella at Sadler’s Wells and on tour, Cats and Scrooge at the London Palladium, Hairspray and Chicago at Leicester Curve, Merrily We Roll Along at the Harold Pinter Theatre, Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury Theatre and The Music Man for Chichester Festival Theatre.

Award-winning Charlie Stemp can currently be seen in the UK tour of Rough Crossing and was last on stage in the West End in Snow White at the London Palladium.  His previous theatre credits include Barnaby Tucker opposite Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!, Dick Whittington at the London Palladium and his critically acclaimed performance as Arthur Kipps in Half a Sixpence at the Nöel Coward Theatre, a role he first performed at Chichester Festival Theatre.  His further theatre credits include Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and the international tour of Mamma Mia!

The original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman include the classic songs Jolly Holiday, Step in Time, Feed the Birds and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  New songs and additional music are by the Olivier award-winning British team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Book is by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes and this production is co-created by Cameron Mackintosh.  The producer for Disney Theatrical Productions is Thomas Schumacher.

This production of Mary Poppins has orchestrations by William David Brohn with dance and vocal arrangements by George Stiles. It has a new sound design by Paul Gatehouse and new lighting by Hugh Vanstone and Natasha Katz. Co-choreography is by Stephen Mear. The reimagined set and costume designs are by Bob Crowley. Co-direction and choreography is by Matthew Bourne and direction by Richard Eyre.

The stage production of Mary Poppins originally opened in the West End in December 2004, running for over 1,250 performances. During this time, the production won two Olivier Awards and an Evening Standard Award. Subsequently the Tony Award®-winning Broadway production ran for over six years.  This new production of the show will be seen for the first time in London following record-breaking runs in Australia, North America, the UK and Ireland, New Zealand, Holland, Mexico, Austria, Switzerland, Dubai, Japan and Germany, where the production recently entered its second hit year in Hamburg. Mary Poppins is also the biggest hit musical ever in Italy where it is currently running in Milan, with several further new productions to open in Europe over the next three years.

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Alastair Knights talks about My Fair Lady 60th Anniversary concert, his next directorial venture and more

Alastair Knights

Alastair Knights set to direct My Fair Lady 60th Anniversary concert

The cafe is bustling with people. Alastair Knights is on a break from rehearsals for Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Union Theatre. Knights leads us to the bar area and we sit on an old sofa. He’s just returned from America and is a little jet-lagged. Last Summer Alastair directed The Spitfire Grill to great acclaim at the Union, went on to direct Kings of Broadway; featuring music from shows and an all-star cast of West End talent. He was also behind the St James Theatre RE:act scheme. Now, he is set to direct the hotly anticipated My Fair Lady 60th Anniversary Concert later this month.

Alastair Knights

Alastair Knights

How much of the industry is who you know vs what you know

I ask him how much of the industry is who you know vs what you know. “Oh God. Who you know! Friends help each other out. You need to be talented and prepared, that’s a given. But what you do need is luck. You need that little moment and if you don’t get it you’re fucked.” It’s clear from speaking to Alastair that a little luck goes a long way.** It was in 2013 that Knights and Musical Director Alex Parker devised and directed Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and staged Putting It Together – A Musical Revue at G Live in Guildford. Putting It Together was a hit later at the St James. One man in the audience was Robert Mackintosh, who runs the St James Theatre and brother of theatrical producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh. He adds “I had my luck because Robert Mackintosh decided to drive to Guilford to see Putting it Together. I wouldn’t be here now if that hadn’t happened. Actually, I’d say it’s 60% who you know and 40% what you know.”

Favourite off -West-End-Theatre

We discuss London venues and I inquire his favourite off-West-End theatre. “The St James Theatre. They gave me my first opportunity in RE: act, a short-plays initiative, and over the last year we have worked with 120 emerging artists. Writers are paired with upcoming directors and actors to create a response piece to productions. It’s an exciting place to be.”

Actors are the bravest people ever

Sitting in one of London’s most vibrant pub-theatres, it is apt that Alastair speaks of his admiration for fringe theatre workers; It’s here that shows can be calling cards for emerging artists. “I’m strongly for Fringe Theatre. I think actors are the bravest people ever. It’s so exposing.” He delves deeper into this advocacy, “There is a lot of discussion around low pay work, but fringe theatre gives actors and directors such wonderful opportunities. I would have never been asked to do Little Voice at a West End or big regional theatre. For me, working somewhere like The Union is a creative and collaborative dream.”

Whats next on the direction list

Alastair’s modesty is endearing. Some directors talk like they’re reading from a script; Alastair speaks with utter conviction and clarity of thought. His enthusiasm is persuasive to the point of being faintly intoxicating. I probe to find out what is next on his directing wish-list. He beams “Fanny and Stella! It’s a new musical I’m working on with composer Eamonn O’Dwyer. It’s about two female impersonators in the gruesome underbelly of Victorian England. We have the rights to Neil Mckenna’s book and we’ll workshop the show next month.”

More about the My Fair Lady Concert happening at St. Paul’s Church

For someone at the start of their career Knights has a lot already under his belt, his ambition is palpable. He tells me about the My Fair Lady Concert he will be directing, “Amazingly, Liz Robertson called Cameron Mackintosh and he suggested Alex Parker and I put it together. We are celebrating 60 years since the first Broadway performance! It’s a gala performance at the iconic St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, the location of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins’s first encounter. We have an incredible cast including Patricia Routledge, Kara Tointon, Frank Skinner, Gina Beck and many more telling the story of the inception of the show, along with songs from the musical itself. The evening is generously supported by Cameron Mackintosh and all proceeds are going towards St Paul’s Church to improve access.”

We talk briefly about imposter syndrome. He says that, if he wasn’t doing this he’d be working an office job. “Probably PR. That’s what I’d probably be doing. Definitely marketing, actually, because I like talking.” Well, quite.

The last five photos on his phone

At this point I ask what are the last five photos he took on his phone. He giggles and coyly begins to list: “The Little Voice Poster, me with a teeth whitening strip in California, a soundboard desk here at the Union, me and my best friend in Hollywood and a theatre in LA.” Whilst looking at his phone, it strikes me that I’m five seconds away from being able to contact Cameron Mackintosh.

The thing about being star struck

I ask Alistair if he’s ever been star-struck. “All the time. I think the first time that I worked with Elaine Paige was a huge deal for me. She is so incredibly talented. Her voice is insane; she’s in her 60’s and looks amazing. What’s more in rehearsals she sang Nobody’s Side from Chess at a Danceworks in Fulham, at midday, and proper belted it. A dream. I know I’m going to be star-struck when I start rehearsals with Patricia Routledge!”

Finishing on a Sheridan Smith note

As we draw to the end of our lunch I ask him if there’s anything he’d like to add, or retract. He seems concerned about Sheridan Smith, who has taken time out from Funny Girl due to exhaustion. “I find the Sheridan Smith situation really, really sad. I’ve seen her be absolutely incredible on stage in Flare Path and Legally Blonde. I watched her in Funny Girl and the spark was missing. I hope she takes some time out and returns better.”

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (@LittleVoiceLDN) runs at The Union Theatre (@TheUnionTheatre), Southwark from 4 to 26 June

My Fair Lady at St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden on Sunday 19 June

 

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