Dick Van Dyke, star of the original Disney motion picture, makes a guest appearance in the national tour of Mary Poppins at the Ahmanson Theatre on January 22, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
While the weather outside may have been cold and dreary, the atmosphere inside the packed theater was warm and exciting as members checked in to receive their special merchandise discount coupons and button to attend the post-show talk-back with the musical’s actors. Disney Legend and Chief Archivist Dave Smith was on hand to greet members who were thrilled to have a chance to see him and even “Ask Dave” some of their longstanding Disney questions. But everyone knew something special was up when Poppins composer Richard Sherman came up to give Dave a big hug. Was this the big surprise, several wondered?
Once everyone was in their seats, Poppins stage show director Anthony Lyn came out to greet the audience and let them know there was a typo in their program. Inserts had been placed in every copy stating, “At this performance, the role of Mr. Dawes, Sr. will be played by NACKVID KEYD.” He explained this was a typo — or rather an anagram. Immediately the audience began to buzz. Mary Poppins, the film, had included an identical anagram credit for the same role, and Dawes, Sr. in the film was played by… Dick Van Dyke! The crowd burst into deafening cheers and applause as Anthony confirmed what many had suspected. Dick Van Dyke would be taking stage to reprise his cameo from the 1964 film.
Then the overture — and the musical — took flight. The audience remained mesmerized throughout the performance as Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee brought their roles of Mary Poppins and Bert to vibrant life, helping the Banks family realize that having each other in their lives is the most important thing in the world. In fact, it was during Mr. Banks’ pivotal scene at the bank where he works that Dick Van Dyke made his memorable entrance. As agile and charismatic as he was more than 45 years ago, Dick couldn’t help but steal the scene, even as he played perfectly along with all the other actors on stage. Again, the ovation shook the Ahmanson as hundreds of people watched a Disney icon take the spotlight.
Following the memorable show, Almost two dozen cast members from the show — including Ashley and Gavin — as well as Anthony, Richard Sherman, and Dick returned to the stage for a talk-back with D23 Members and several guests from a charity close to Dick’s heart, the Midnight Mission.
“Old actors don’t die, they just keep doing the same part over and over,” cracked Dick as he hit the stage.
One guest asked what happened to the musical number “Temper, Temper,” which was in the original production of the show. “We felt ‘Temper, Temper,’ was a great number,” Anthony explained, adding that changes had been made to the show in an effort to tell the story in the best was possible. “There were elements of it that weren’t the story we wanted to tell… It was a refinement.”
When asked about the origin of “NACKVID KEYD,” Dick told the house it was “Walt’s idea to jumble up the words like that.”
One member wanted to know if the original movie cast knew they were making something that would captivate audiences for so many years. “We all had a feeling,” Dick admitted. “There was something magical every day shooting.
I’m not surprised. That was the genius of Walt Disney.”
At that point Richard piped in that Dick was even a little more prescient than everyone else, recalling that at one point during filming Dick said, “‘One of these days this is gonna make a great stage show.’ We said, ‘You’re out of your mind.’”
Gavin was asked if he was nervous filling Dick’s shoes. “Whaddaya think?” cracked the actor, who has been playing the role for five years — since the first production. “When I auditioned, I’d never seen the movie all the way through. Shock – horror from everyone in the audience!” The room burst into laughter. “These shows are so big, Ashley and I didn’t feel we had to ‘do a Dick Van Dyke,’ ‘do a Julie Andrews.’” Still, he says, the night Dick came to see the show for the first time just a few months ago “was the most nervous night I’ve ever had!”
“So that’s what a cockney accent sounds like!” quipped Dick, referring to reviews of the movie, which cited his own cockney accent as less-than-authentic.
Close to the end of the evening, someone asked Richard what it was like working with Walt. A hush fell over the room. “Walt Disney was a very inspiring man,” Richard said thoughtfully. “He sensed in people their capabilities — he saw things you didn’t see in yourself. He made us reach higher and jump higher than we thought we could… The man was a great storyteller. He took risks.” Richard ended by saying something just as true for the cast on stage as it was for the hundreds of D23 Members in the audience. “We are all here today because of Walt Disney’s dream.”
Mary Poppins plays at the Ahmanson through February 7. To see the next stops on the tour, click here.
By D23′s Jeffrey Epstein
