Mary Poppins (musical)
Mary Poppins is a musical with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (the Sherman Brothers) and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, and a script by Julian Fellowes. The musical is based on the similarly titled Mary Poppins children's books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film, and is a fusion of various elements from the two, including songs from the film.
Karen Dotrice
Almost a half-century after "Poppins", and just in time for its 50th anniversary Blu-ray re-release and the theatrical release of "Saving Mr. Banks", Dotrice, who had since moved to Brentwood, California, told the "Los Angeles Times" that it wasn't until seeing "Banks" that she truly understood why Walt Disney was the father figure she remembered. "I didn't know P. L. Travers' history" with Disney and his many years spent trying to convince Travers to let him tell the Poppins story on film. Dotrice noted a common thread; Travers was eight years old when her father died, and Walt Disney's father put him to work when he was eight. "I was eight when I did the film. I think P. L. Travers was trying to fix families [with the "Poppins" books, and Disney] wanted to heal people through his movies. Here I am 50 years later looking at this—I was crying when I was watching the film." In 2018, she appeared on a television special of "Mary Poppins Returns: Behind the Magic -- A Special Edition of 20/20" which aired on November 22, 2018 on ABC. She makes a cameo appearance in "Mary Poppins Returns" as an elegant lady who passes by the main characters on Cherry Tree Lane and asks for directions to #19. Talking about the cameo, Dotrice said, "Now that Mary Poppins is back it feels like she was here all along. She was in our hearts all along, that's for sure. I think her timing is immaculate, the world has never needed her more and so she's done it practically perfectly."