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Kayla Burress as Mary Poppins & Eric Byrd as Bert. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s MARY POPPINS JR. April 7-16, 2018 at the Taft Theatre. The “practically perfect” 70-minute musical is based on the classic P.L. Travers stories and the Walt Disney film.

All of London (and Cincinnati!) is shouting from the rooftops about this exciting stage adaptation of the classic tales of Mary Poppins. Join the Banks family as they encounter adventure after fun-filled adventure with their curious new nanny, Mary Poppins. Adapted especially for young audiences, this musical includes favorite Sherman brothers songs such as “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Feed the Birds,” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” as well as wonderful new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. With colorful characters and an irresistible score, MARY POPPINS JR. is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for all ages.

Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. Book by Julian Fellowes.  New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.  Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh.  Directed by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s own Producing Artistic Director, Roderick Justice, and choreographed by Paula Rakestraw.

MARY POPPINS JR. presented by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, April 7-16, 2018.  Saturday, April 7 at 2 PM* (this performance is signed for the hearing impaired), Sunday, April 8 at 2 PM, Sunday, April 8 at 5 PM, Friday, April 13 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, April 14 at 2 PM, Saturday, April 14 at 5 PM, Sunday, April 15 at 2 PM at the Taft Theatre, 5th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets start at $10.  1-800-745-3000 and  www.ticketmaster.com.

School performances of MARY POPPINS JR. will be held April 10-13 during the daytime hours. TCT’s Sensory Friendly performance will be held on Monday, April 16 at 9:45 AM. This performance is intended for individuals on the autism spectrum, as well as children (and adults) with other special needs who may benefit. To create a sensory-friendly performance, the show is performed in a welcoming, supportive environment for those with sensory challenges.  Slight adjustments to lighting and sound are made and effects such as fog, strobes, and lights that extend into the audience are minimalized.  A downloadable Social Narrative (in Word format) is made available on the TCT website one week before the performance.  At the theater, TCT provides an area staffed by specialists in the field where patrons can take a break from the performance if necessary, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has trained staff on hand.  For details about how to purchase tickets to TCT’s school or Sensory-Friendly performances, visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

TCT’s Homeschool performance will be on Monday, April 16 at 12:15 PM.

CAST (in Alphabetical Order):

• George Banks Brian Anderson
• Ensemble ANDREW BLAKE
• Ensemble HANNAH BROWNING
• Ensemble MADELEINE BURGOON
• Mary Poppins Kayla Burress
• Bert ERIC BYRD*
• Ensemble CHRIS LOGAN CARTER
• Von Hussler/Ensemble JON CASPIAN
• Miss Andrew/Ensemble LIZ COMSTOCK
• Ms. Brill EILEEN EARNEST
• Ensemble NICK GODFREY
• Mrs. Corry/Ensemble KYNDRA DYANNE
• Northbrook/Ensemble A. JAMES JONES
• Robertson Ay JOEY LOGAN
• Katie Nanna/Mrs. Smyth/Ensemble KRISTI ROSE MILLS
• Bird Woman DANIELLE MUETHING
• Ensemble RENEE STOLTZFUS
• Bank Chairman/Ensemble Jason D. Weaver
• Winifred Banks MICHELLE WELLS

YOUNG ARTISTS COMPANY:

• Neleus/Ensemble MADELYNN GLENN
• Ensemble NICHOLAS GUNDRUM
• Jane Banks PAYTON HINES
• Ensemble AUBREY E. JONES
• Michael Banks BENNY MITCHELL
• Ensemble MADDI O’CONNELL
• Ensemble JACK WALZ

UNDERSTUDIES

For Katie Nanna – HANNAH BROWNING; for Mrs. Brill –  MADELEINE BURGOON; for Bert – CHRIS LOGAN CARTER, for Chairman – JON CASPIAN; for Bird Woman – LIZ COMSTOCK; for Winifred Banks – EILEEN EARNEST; for Michael & Jane Banks MADELYNN GLENN; for Northbrook & Von Hussler –  NICK GODFREY; for Robertson Ay – NICHOLAS GUNDRUM; for Miss Andrew –  KYNDRA JYANNE JEFFERIES; for Neleus – AUBREY JONES; for George Banks – A. JAMES JONES; for Mary Poppins – KRISTI ROSE MILLS; for Miss Smythe – MADDI O’CONNELL; for Mrs. Corry –  RENEE STOLTZFUS

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States (AEA)

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of MARY POPPINS JR.  is made possible by Chemed.  Season Sponsors are the Charles H. Dater Foundation, the H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Foundation, and the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation.  This program is made possible in part by the generosity of almost 40,000 contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign; as well as state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.  TriHealth sponsors this production’s Dress Run.  Media sponsors are LOCAL 12 and Q102.

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