We recently were invited to check out Mary Poppins, Disney's Broadway musical version of the book we are all most familiar with in film form and the show solidified my impression of Disney as master magic-makers.

Mary Poppins is an incredibly impressive show. I have never seen a show that so closely replicated the experience of a movie, including all that silver screen magic that isn't supposed to be replicable in a live performance. The set looks like a doll house brought to life and it moves and morphs in ways that only Disney's magicians could dream up. I was mesmerized and delighted just to enjoy the visual spectacle of the sets, but of course, this is Mary Poppins, so the songs are the real star of the show.

One aspect of the film no magician could replicate, of course, is the cast, and while the actress who plays Mary Poppins (Laura Michelle Kelly) feels as Mary Poppins-ish as can be, I felt a little bad for the actor (Christian Borle) who had to live up to Dick van Dyke's performance. Maybe that's just me though, Dick van Dyke was my first love (sigh), and by the end of the show, the stage Bert had grown on me and I forgave him for not being Dick van Dyke.

Another difference between screen and stage is the that the tone of the stage show is a little more serious. Again, don't know if it is intentional or just the absence of that Julie Andrews charm, but the stage Mary Poppins is slightly colder and more mysterious. And while the overall message that there are more important things than striving to make money and that life should be enjoyed for fun's sake are the same, the play felt surprisingly old-fashioned to me when it focused on the mom's struggle to assert herself as a mother and wife.

Of course your kids won't have these complex reactions to the show. They'll get swept up in the supercalifragilistic fun and you'll jump back on the subway happily singing your favorite songs together all the way home.

Mary Poppins is playing on Broadway at the beautiful New Amsterdam Theater (42nd St and Broadway). Recommended for children 6 and up. Tickets are $31.50-$161.50. marypoppins.com

Win the VIP Mary Poppins Experience!
If you follow celebrity news, you may have heard that celebrities like Brad and Angelina have been taking their broods to see Mary Poppins. Well, we're offering you the VIP experience too. 5 lucky Mommy Poppins families will be invited to see the show and then go backstage and meet Mary Poppins herself, get autographs and take photos.

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