A musical interlude : Mary Poppins – a tale for our times

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 pm, February 2nd, 2009 - 6 comments
Categories: International - Tags:

The stage has often been the realm where society holds itself up for examination and consideration, but who amongst us would have picked Mary Poppins as a tale for our times? According to Harold Evans of the Guardian

“the tale of the twinkly-eyed nanny is suddenly topical – because the father is a banker suspicious of a money-making scheme that’s too good to be true. Who’d have thought that an English nanny with a sharp tongue could have a message in these glum times for all the grown-ups?

The lights of Broadway are big business, and the hard times have hit there too:

“That Mary Poppins has suddenly acquired such vivid topicality – a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious topicality – is not good news for anyone else on Broadway where the lights have gone out in theatre after theatre…

I hope the art scene here does not suffer a similar fate. The cultural sector did well out of a Labour administration and I’m sure there will be those within National who regard it as ripe for re-prioritisation.

I also note a certain irony that another British import is currently Broadway’s top earner  – Billy Elliott with “striking coal miners dancing in Mrs Thatcher’s Britain.”

6 comments on “A musical interlude : Mary Poppins – a tale for our times ”

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  1. The Sprout 1
    2 February 2009 at 9:02 pm

    this just in, leaked secrets from a National Cabinet folder marked “Global Financial Crisis Research and Strategies”

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=jt9JpYRulSk

    [we can get caught in the spam trap too when we use links. SP]

  2. The Sprout 2
    2 February 2009 at 9:04 pm

    just leaked from National Cabinet folder marked “Global Financial Crisis Research and Strategies”

    http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=jt9JpYRulSk

  3. northpaw 3
    2 February 2009 at 9:30 pm

    Jack and the Beanstalk is another, if apt and on topic, Brit heroic import idea.

    A kiwi variation might play on these words.. say like Jack and the Beans Talk, or Jock and.. or any other kiwisque name to anchor the thing here..

    Satirical style would go quite well.. so long as the script or performers come up with a couple of great laffs at appropriate times..

  4. Billy 4
    2 February 2009 at 9:43 pm

    If you invest your tuppence wisely in the bank
    safe and sound
    Soon that tuppence safely invested in the bank
    will compound
    And you’ll achieve that sense of conquest
    As your affluence expands
    In the hands of the directors
    Who invest as propriety demands

  5. northpaw 5
    3 February 2009 at 11:53 am

    Juxtaposed as I am presently twixt Billy’s plaintive cry above and Bevanj misdirection arising from his later admission to confused linking — yeah his plea was about how fanny and freddie had caused the us financial meltdown, but the link was to a Times article late December08 about Wamu, the height of propriety in american banking

    Despite the waste of time this latter commenter caused me I’ll hearby admit to Billy pushing a smile across my chops at fiction over facts…well done Billy.

  6. Rex Widerstrom 6
    3 February 2009 at 7:20 pm

    I’d have thought you Standard chappies would draw more parallels with The Sound of Music… you know, evil fascists running the place and all… 😛 😀