The Broadway musical “Mary Poppins†will close on March 3 at the New Amsterdam Theater to make way for extensive renovations of the Disney-owned house before its expected next tenant: A musical adaptation of the company's 1992 animated film “Aladdin,†according to two Broadway theater executives. The two executives spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss production plans that remain confidential. A Disney spokesman did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment on Monday.
Based on the children's books by P.L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film, “Mary Poppins†opened in November 2006 to mixed reviews, but has gone on to turn a profit for Disney and its producing partner on the show, Cameron Mackintosh. The show will have run more than 2,600 performances on Broadway when it closes.
The “Aladdin†musical had its premiere at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle in the summer of 2011, and another production of the show ran last summer in St. Louis. The two theater executives said that the New Amsterdam renovations were expected to take several months and that “Aladdin†would probably not begin performances on Broadway until the spring of 2014.
The movie version â€" which featured Robin Williams as the voice of the genie â€" won two Academy Awards, for best original score and best original song (“A Whole New Worldâ€); the stage version, like the movie, has music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Chad Beguelin wrote the book for the theatrical version and contributed to the lyrics.
The New York Post first reported on Monday that “Aladdin†would follow “Mary Poppins†into the New Amsterdam.
