Silvestre Revueltas / Mary Poppins
On this day in classical music: Silvestre Revueltas’ “Sensemayá” was given its premiere in Mexico City in 1938. The orchestral work, which Revueltas had transcribed from his own chamber ensemble version, evokes the ancient Mayan civilization through the sounds of a contemporary symphony orchestra. It has a similar visceral appeal as Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Listen to the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra perform “Sensemaya.” Gustavo Dudamel conducts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZO2VkKKR7o
On this day in the musical theatre: “Mary Poppins” opened in London’s West End in 2004. Based on the 1965 Disney film and the stories by P.L. Travers, “Mary Poppins” is the story of a loveable nanny who teaches Jane and Michael Banks some valuable lessons during her employ. A Broadway production opened in November 2006 and is still running. Listen to Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins), Gavin Lee (Bert) and the Broadway company perform “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Step in Time” and “Anything Can Happen” on the 2007 Tony Awards broadcast. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYs0tORSH8k
Musical musings: If only everybody had a Mary Poppins who pops in from somewhere, no visa necessary, David Blunkett wouldn’t have been blubbing last week. Alas, such dream nannies, particularly ones with the truly magic touch as well as the magic carpetbag of fresh-faced, butter wouldn’t-melt Laura Michelle Kelly, who plays the title role in the new West End show, are as rare as tap-dancing chimneysweeps. So, too, are shows with the extraordinarily high production values of Cameron Mackintosh. Bob Crowley’s fabulous doll’s house design gives us the authentic cross-section of the luxury London townhouse where Mr. Banks lives with his wife and two children. But, as one of several excellent songs added by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe insists, it’s a place where “Anything Can Happen,” and that includes classical statues bursting into terrifying life, cuddly toys becoming colossal and creepy, and cheeky children becoming, miraculously, more thoughtful. Even a stuffy, distracted father, damaged from being brought up by a dragon of a nanny, can, astonishingly, become the sort of fellow who wants to fly a kite with the kids at the weekend. There’s another new song, “Practically Perfect,” which also says it all or nearly. Practically speaking, Richard Eyre’s show really is perfect, seamless and light years ahead of the film. – Georgina Brown in The London Mail
