Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee to Star in Mary Poppins on Broadway

Ashley Brown and London star Gavin Lee will play the roles of Mary Poppins and Bert, respectively, in the Disney/Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins on Broadway. The show is scheduled to begin performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre on October 14.

Brown is no stranger to Disney musicals—she has been playing Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast since September. Prior to coming to Broadway, she earned positive reviews for her performance in the national tour of the Disney compilation musical On the Record. Her previous musical theater credits include Candide, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Violet and Sweeney Todd as well as St. Louis Muny mountings of Meet Me in St. Louis, Guys and Dolls, Side by Side by Sondheim and Crazy For You.

Gavin Lee was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Bert in the West End mounting of Mary Poppins, in which he continues to appear. In Variety, Matt Wolf wrote of the actor: "Gavin Lee brings a grit to the smiley-faced Bert that overhauls the role. He's also in command of some splendidly supple footwork that, during 'Step in Time,' finds Lee making his vertiginous way up, around, and over the theater's proscenium arch in what is the literally dizzying high point of Matthew Bourne and co-choreographer Stephen Mear's dances." Before Poppins, Lee's West End credits included A Saint She Ain't, Crazy For You, Singing In The Rain, Peggy Sue Got Married and Contact.

Mary Poppins, which continues to run at London's Prince Edward Theatre, is scheduled to officially open at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 16, 2006.