Almost sixty years after its release in 1964, Mary Poppins remains a cult film, capable of bringing together several generations of spectators. As proof, the public came in large numbers on February 11 to participate in the first rehearsal session organized at the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès in Strasbourg. Two more sessions are scheduled for March 1 and March 11. As for the final cine-concert, two performances are scheduled for March 10 and 11.
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Open to all and without prior singing lessons, these rehearsals are conducted by the choirmaster of the Orchester Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Jean-Philippe Billman. The idea is really to prepare the public to sing with the Orchestra. ” The songs of Mary Poppins, we know them and we hum them without understanding exactly what we sing”, explains Marie-Laure Denay, Director of Communications for PAHO.
We thought it was nice to allow the public to follow the songs well by pronouncing them correctly
Marie-Laure DenayPAHO Communications Director
And it’s not luxury, especially when you have to tackle THE flagship title of Mary Poppins : Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Thirty-four letters for a word that is certainly magical but unpronounceable! Its authors, the Sherman brothers, give the translation next : “super” refers to “up”, “cal” to “beauty”, “fragilistic” to “delicate”, “expiali” to “atone” and “docious” to “educable”.
From novel to musical
Produced by Walt Disney Studios and directed by Briton Robert Stevenson, Mary Poppins remains a special film in the history of the famous company. Originally, it is a book. Its author, Pamela L. Travers, is Australian. Mr. Disney discovers his novel in his daughters’ room and decides to adapt the story of this English nanny like no other to the cinema.
It will take more than twenty years to convince the novelist to give him the rights, by accepting his conditions (right to inspect the script, percentage of the film’s receipts and 100,000 dollars in advance). These long negotiations will be the subject of a film, In Mary’s shadowreleased in 2014 starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as Pamela L. Travers.
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The movie of all successes
To embody Mary Poppins, Disney had thought of Bette Davis but it was finally a young actress who won the role, the incredible Julie Andrews. She never acted in the cinema but found success on Broadway with My Fair Lady. After refusing at first (she is pregnant), she will accept this role. Wise decision: thanks to him, she won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1965.
The film will also align the awards: 7 in total including the Oscar for best film music and that of the best original song for Chim Chim Cher-ee.
Mary Poppins would mark a turning point in Walt Disney’s career, coming at a time when some of his films – Peter Pan, Bambi – do not meet with the expected success. When it was released in 1964, Mary Poppins receives a five-minute standing ovation at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. A success that will be confirmed at the box office with more than 100 million dollars in profits. This jackpot allowed Walt Disney to buy a huge piece of land in Florida to build his famous park, Walt Disney World.
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Open rehearsals Sing Mary Poppins the m Wednesday 1er March 2023 at 4 p.m. and Saturday March 11 at 2 p.m. at the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès in Strasbourg – Duration: 1h30 – Free reservation.
Cine-concert Mary Poppins on Friday March 10 at 8 p.m. and Saturday March 11 at 5 p.m. – Film in French version – Duration: 2h45, intermission included – Prices: Full €25 | Reduced 15€ | Young people 6€ – Reservation