With a spoonful of sugar, Mary Poppins flies across the stage in a brand-new production created just for The 5th Avenue Theatre’s audiences. Precocious children Michael and Jane Banks have exhausted every nanny—that is, until Mary Poppins drops in on a strange breeze. Revel in the spectacle of this chimney-sweeping epic as the characters traverse the roofs of London, encountering colorful characters in a fantastically magical world. Based on the beloved film, this timeless tale celebrates imagination and reveals the childlike wonder all around us.
Denis Jones is a two-time Tony Award-nominated choreographer and director whose work has been seen on Broadway, across the country, and around the world. From live theater to film and television, Denis’ body of work spans both media and genres.
On Broadway, Denis received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Chita Rivera nominations for both Tootsie and Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn and choreographed the Broadway production of Honeymoon in Vegas.
As a veteran Broadway performer, as well as a director and choreographer, Denis enjoys teaching and has participated in theater training programs at the university level and beyond. Jones is directing the latest production of Mary Poppins at Seattle’s Fifth Avenue Theatre. Here are the highlights of my recent interview.
Last Show(s) in Seattle:
The last show I did here, I did two things, and it’s been quite some time. I did Elf here, and I also did Damn Yankees. Oh, yes. But that was, you know, 11 years ago. So, it has been a minute. It’s really nice being back at the Fifth and in your beautiful city. It’s been a real pleasure to return.
On Mary Poppins:
Well, you know, it’s a show that I have great affection for, and I know I do not stand alone in that feeling. I have connections, as so many people do, to the film that I grew up on. I had the album, and I was, you know, mildly obsessed with it as a child. I was also quite taken with the Broadway adaptation, which is the version we are working with here at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. There are so many things about it. Obviously, the score is incredible. The Sherman Brothers’ music is part of the stage production, along with additional fantastic music. It’s such a winning score. Their songs have become part of the American songbook at large—Jolly Holiday, Feed the Birds, and all of those songs will be a part of this presentation, and they are just absolutely glorious. But what I find most moving—and what continues to move me—is the story at the center of it all. This nanny answers the call of a family in crisis, and through encouraging them to open their eyes to themselves, to one another, and to the beauty of the world, she sets them on a path to healing. And then, once they are on that path, she flies away. I just find it tremendously moving. I am blessed with a company of sensational actors here in Seattle who not only deliver the singing, dancing, and comedy, but also embody a deep understanding of the meaning of the story. I’m very, very excited to share it with audiences starting tonight. We have our first preview, and then we open a week from Sunday.
The Routines in Mary Poppins He Loves:
By routines, we mean dance routines or moments. Yes, well, there’s quite a bit of dance in the musical. I started my dance training in second grade when I began taking tap, which, you know, was not recent, but has become a lifelong passion of mine. Mary Poppins the musical has a huge tap number in the second act called Step in Time. You never want to pick favorites in a musical, as you want to love all your “children” equally. But it’s certainly exciting to deliver this kind of tap, especially with some incredible dancers, notably Danny Gardner, who’s playing Bert—he’s just sensational. But there’s a lot of dance in the show—Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Jolly Holiday—this production is pretty dance-forward. As a director and choreographer, those are the kinds of projects I’m most attracted to.
Favorite Show He Directed or Choreographed:
You know, listen, I’m very much a “bloom where I’m planted” kind of guy. I often love most the thing that’s right in front of me. I’ve been blessed with many wonderful experiences, both as a performer and as a choreographer and director. But, right now, in the life of Denis Jones, there’s nothing I love more than Mary Poppins.
Coming Up:
It’s fun to balance my schedule between working on pre-existing material like Mary Poppins. Over the past year or so, I’ve worked on incredible productions like Bye Bye Birdie, Oliver, and Sister Act—just great musicals that are already part of the canon. But the other half of my schedule involves developing new work. I’ve worked on three musicals—Stage Mother, The Goose Girl, and Dangerous—that I did developmental work on right before coming here to Seattle through readings and workshops. I’m excited about all three projects in different ways, and when I get back to New York, I’ll continue to develop them and hopefully bring them to audiences very soon.
Final Thoughts:
I just want to emphasize again how great a blessing it has been in my life to return to this theater and to be part of this incredible artistic family that is creating this production. Sincerely, the company of actors, the fantastic musicians here in Seattle, and the crew, stage management, and all of the management infrastructure at The Fifth—they’ve made this an absolute blessing. When I was a performer, I always looked forward to opening nights because they felt like new beginnings. As a director and choreographer, opening nights signal the end because my relevance diminishes with every day that passes as we approach opening night. So, I look at it with a bit of melancholy already. It’s been such a lovely time here, and I’m going to be sad when it ends. But then, like Mary Poppins, I’ll have to fly away.
See Denis Jones’ work in Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins only at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle through December 29th. Go to 5thavenue.org for tickets and information.
