Mary Poppins Sing Along: Review by Lainie Gutterman

My son saw Mary Poppins Returns twice over the holidays.  So, when I was offered tickets to Mary Poppins Sing-Along at Schimmel Center, I immediately said “yes” even though we had to rearrange our jam-packed weekend schedule to fit it in.

An hour prior to the movie, there were pre-show activities including games and coloring, along with a meet-and-greet with Mary Poppins (Elizabeth Earley) and Bert (Michael Scott Torbet). My son who is a die-hard movie fanatic couldn’t wait for the film to start so he wasn’t big into participation, but other kids had a great time while waiting for the film to start.

We had never attended a “sing-along” before, and I had thought it would be more like a big dance party with the kids up on their feet singing while the movie played simultaneously on a big screen. Rather, it was a seated screening of the classic Disney original Mary Poppins with the song lyrics on the bottom of the screen like subtitles and/or karaoke.

It was an awesome feeling sitting in the theater listening to the entire audience (both young and old) break out in applause when Best Actress Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke’s names appeared in the opening credits. The same thing happened in the scene where Mary Poppins initially flies in on her broomstick.  The excitement was palpable!

I must admit that both my son and I enjoyed watching Mary Poppins on the movie screen as part of a larger audience much more than when we saw it on television in the comfort of our own home last December before Mary Poppins Returns came out.

It was “Practically Perfect in Every Way.” What more can I say?!

Schimmel Center is located at 3 Spruce Street (right near Beekman). Pace University generously underwrites the presentations. Upcoming performances include 1964: The Tribute  (a replication of a live Beatles concert), New Shanghai Circus (February 24^th) and Baby, Dream Your Dream (an evening pay homage to the few bold female pioneers who crashed the boys’ club and wrote hit songs and shows).

Tags: lainie gutterman, later motherhood, mary poppins, mary poppins sing along, mom film blogger, raising a son, schimmel center