Photo By Amabilia Payen | Allen Thompson and Josey Mitchell will act as Bert and Mary Poppins in the upcoming...... read more read more
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El PASO, Texas – The long-time beloved musical of “Mary Poppins” will be enacted and produced by the University of Texas El Paso Dinner Theatre, April 17th, at the Union Building West, 2nd floor in room 209. The surrounding military community is invited to enjoy the show which will be serving some supercalifragalistic food.
The 32-year old drama department of UTEP has worked hard for six weeks to bring the Broadway classic to the borderland and it is the first time a Broadway musical of “Mary Poppins” will show in El Paso history.
“’Mary Poppins’, this show, is the first time it is being produced here,” said Beverly Kerbs-Ward, UTEP Dinner Theatre program director. “No show has come to El Paso to show it, and so we are very excited to be the first. It has been hard work, but it is worth it in the end.”
According to Kerbs-Ward, the dinner theatre is probably the most successful theater in El Paso at the moment, given that it is a pleasant experience. People can sit down, have a lovely dinner, and enjoy the show.
Josey Mitchell, a dance director at Coronado High School, was precast for the show to play the main character, Mary Poppins. As a graduate of UTEP, she still loves to be involved with the Dinner Theatre due to her long-standing relationship with the program.
“I started out as the assistant choreographer when I was a student here,” said Mitchell. “I have done over 22 shows which include main roles such as Belle in 'Beauty and the Beast,' Evita in the Broadway musical 'Evita' and so forth.”
Mitchell is excited to play Mary Poppins, describing it as one of those “dream roles” many people enjoy.
“You grow up watching the movie and she is a wonderful and fun character that everyone loves,” said Mitchell. “The Broadway show is different than the movie though, because it pulls more from the book.”
Mitchell encourages military families to come watch the show, because of its relatable aspect of trying to smile when hard times come.
“I think that this is such a great family show because it is really about family, and how we all have our ups and downs and we grow to improve. So, Mary Poppins is there to come in and basically show the family what they already have, and that is the love for each other. People can be preoccupied with the pressures of life, and I think Soldiers can understand that this will be a feel good show, an escape from our everyday strains of life.”
The young actor who was casted to play Michael Banks is Justin Hogue, an 8th-grader who attends Ricardo Estrada Junior High School.
Hogue has been a longtime fan of the dinner theatre, and he signed up for audition email alerts from the dinner theatre website.
“When I saw the auditions for ‘Mary Poppins’, I came out to audition. I didn’t think I would get it but I did,” said Hogue. “I am really excited to play this character. I always wanted to do it, and now, here I am.”
Kerbs-Ward recognizes how important Fort Bliss is to the community, and wants military families to know that the invitation to audition for any of their shows is always extended.
“If they love to sing and dance and have talent, we would love for them to come audition. We have four next show auditions for our upcoming musical, ‘Pippin’,” said Kerbs-Ward.
The auditorium at the Union Building seats 180 people and the show is expected to run for 18 nights throughout the month of April and May. A special matinee dinner is scheduled for April 19. No dinner performances are also provided for four different nights.
You can visit the UTEP Dinner Theatre website for more information on dates and times for “Mary Poppins” showings and also for upcoming auditions at www.utep.edu/udt. Kerbs-Ward can be reached at 915-747-6061 for more information and to request changes in menu items for any special dietary needs.
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2015 16:18 |
| Story ID: | 160232 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Hometown: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 208 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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