Tag Archives: Mountaineers Players

Folks flock to ‘Mary Poppins’ in the forest

Looks like it’s going to be a big four weekends for the Mountaineers Players and their Kitsap Forest Theater production of “Mary Poppins.”

Opening-day performances I’ve hiked down to in past Memorial Day weekends have been sparsely attended, often owing to less-than-perfect weather. But the show on May 24 drew upwards of 4000522_KSFE_Poppins6 — despite cool conditions and overcast skies — roughly twice what opening days normally attract.

And you shouldn’t expect the throngs to get any smaller. The weather should continue to be decent or better, and the draw of the “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” musical won’t get any weaker.

The cast is mostly from Seattle, but look for Bremerton’s  Gary Spees in a couple of supporting roles.

A review of the May 24 show is here:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/entertainment/theater-mountaineers-poppins-a-little-lost-in-the-trees_61184537

Information: 206-542-7815 (info only), 800-573-8484 (tickets), foresttheater.com

‘Mary Poppins’ will look different in the forest

It’s going to be interesting seeing how the Mountaineers Players handle the musical “Mary Poppins,” which opens with 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday shows during the Memorial Day weekend at the Kitsap Forest Theater.

The Broadway show is full of high-tech (and high-price tag) goodies. Chimney sweeps dance on the ceiling, a kitchen self-destructs and reconstructs, and just about everybody flies at one point or another. When I saw the Village Theatre‘s wonderful version in Issaquah last December, I loved how the show used the great songs from the 1964 movie version without being a simple rehash. But I was also distracted by all the special effects, a reaction Mountaineers director Craig Schieber said he had to the same show

“I was wowed by the spectacle, but not the story line,” said Schieber. “We have to rely on telling the story, and let the audience use their imaginations to supply some of the magic.”

A preview of the Mountaineers’ “Mary Poppins” is here:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/entertainment/theater-forest-theater-hosts-the-magic-of-mary-poppins_85403849

If you saw Village Theatre’s “Mary Poppins” in Issaquah or Everett, or the earlier production in Seattle, and make it out to see the show at Kitsap Forest Theatre, drop me a note at mmoore@kitsapsun.com and let me know how you thought the two compared.

— MM