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Huffington Post -- As Broadway's "Mary Poppins" gets ready to close, regional productions of this acclaimed Disney musical begin popping up all over As any good Mary Poppins fan will tell you, when the wind shifts from the East to the West, it's then time for that practically perfect...

"Did you enjoy attending the 2011 edition of the D23 EXPO ?" For a lot of Official Disney Fan Club members, the answer to that question depends largely on how early they got in line for last year's Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix concert. If you were among the folks who got in line early...

Last Monday afternoon, I was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum and overheard a pretty funny exchange between two of the docents who'd been assigned to work the " D23 presents Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives " exhibit. Photo by Alice Hill It seems that one of these...

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Photo by Nancy Stadler Following its acclaimed run at the Papermill Playhouse last Fall, Disney Theatrical Productions' " Newsies: The Musical " opened at NYC's Nederlander Theatre last night for a special limited engagement. The press lines up to get...

If any baby boomers that you know seem a bit blue today ... Well, there's a reason. Robert B Sherman , the man who -- along with his brother Richard M Sherman -- basically wrote the soundtrack for their childhoods ... passed away yesterday. Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 - March 5, 2012...

It wasn't always easy directly working for Walt Disney. Sometimes you found yourself dealing with some very weird assignments. "My brother and I were in our office one day when we got a phone call. 'Walt wants you down on Stage 4,' " Disney Legend Richard M Sherman recalled during...

2012 is already shaping up to be a banner year for the Disney Theatrical Group . What with the upcoming limited Broadway engagement for " Newsies ." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved On the heels of its highly acclaimed pilot production at the Paper Mill Playhouse earlier...

As any good gardener will tell you, Fall is a great time to prune. Why For? Because once the leaves are off the tree, you can actually see what you're doing. More to the point, flowering plants that are pruned back in the autumn usually experience vigorous regrowth the following spring. Photo by...

It's been kind of a sore point for a while now (at least among theatre fans & Disney audiophiles) that the only recording of the "Mary Poppins" stage musical which was available for purchase was the original London cast recording of this show . Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. / Cameron...

As you watch Mickey's Soundsational Parade roll through Disneyland Park , this feeling of Disney déjà-vu is bound to come over you. By that I mean: While this is obviously a brand-new parade with a look, style and sound all its own, there are just enough elements here that harken back...

It's often been said that a story is only as good as its villain. Which is why you genuinely have to feel for Casey Nicholaw and Chad Beguelin . As the director & the librettist of " Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical " (which will begin presenting performances at Seattle's...

Greetings from Anaheim, California. Where I am right in the thick of the Disneyland Resort's Soundsational Summer media event. The Mouse has really pulled out the stops for this one, folks. Not only were Jodi Benson (i.e. the voice of Ariel for "The Little Mermaid" animated feature) and...

So how exactly did Dick Van Dyke wind up playing Bert in " Mary Poppins " ? According to his just-released memoir, " My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business " (Crown Archetype, May 2011), Dick landed his role in that Disney classic because an earlier film of his - 1964's "...

So how did the directors of " Toy Story 3 " and " How to Train Your Dragon " react to their respective films being nominated for the Academy Award in the Animated Feature Film category? Leave it to Lee Unkrich to use his moment in the spotlight to acknowledge the competition as well...

It's been a very interesting week in the world of Disney entertainment. What with news coming out of Seattle that a brand-new stage version of "Aladdin" will be premiering at the 5 th Avenue Theatre July 7th - 31st . Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved This two-act musical...

As snow fell on New York City last Friday night, seven veterans from Disney Theatrical Productions came together to salute Sir Tim Rice . So who exactly was on hand? Ashley Brown (original title star of Mary Poppins on Broadway ), Heidi Blickenstaff (Ursula in The Little Mermaid ), Merle Dandridge (Kala...

Yesterday, Jeff posted a not-so-Holly-Jolly comment in response to Monday's "On Stranger Tides" article . If i had a dollar for everytime Jim promised to do a story or complete a series of stories I would be one rich guy. Okay, fine. So I'm the prince of procrastination. To be fair...

The Walt Disney Archives has lots of props & costume pieces from " Mary Poppins " currently on file ... Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved ... among them that cherries-and-daisies hat which Julie Andrews wore in this 1964 Academy Award-winning film ... Copyright Disney...

When people talk about where the Disney / Pixar magic comes from, there are always a few California cities that get mentioned right away. Burbank. Glendale. Anaheim. Emeryville. But - to be honest -- there's one other place that really belongs on that list. And that's Valencia, CA. Which is home...

You don't normally find alligators lurking inside of the Disneyland Hotel . Photo by Jim Hill Or - for that matter - PeopleMover cars parked just outside of this hotel's Grand Ballroom . Photo by Jim Hill But - then again - this past Saturday night wasn't exactly your average night at the...