Bert the chimney sweep introduces the audience to Cherry Tree Lane in Edwardian London. George and Winifred Banks live at number 17 with their rambunctious children, Michael and Jane and their many servants. The children are so out of control that their latest nanny quits in a fury. The children write their own advertisement for “The Perfect Nanny,” but an enraged George rips it up and throws it in the fire.
Mary Poppins flies in by umbrella and immediately takes charge of the children as their new nanny, assuring them that she is “Practically Perfect” in every way. She takes them on their first outing to the park, where they meet Bert. At first they are scared by his dirty appearance, but she teaches them to look beyond appearances by bringing the park’s statues to life (“Jolly Holliday”).
Meanwhile in the Banks household, Winifred is struggling with “Being Mrs. Banks,” and George seems embarrassed by his wife’s ineffectiveness. She decides to surprise him by organising a tea party, and when the children inadvertently wreck her plans, Mary teaches them to fix it with a “Spoonful of Sugar.” She then brings the children to visit George at the bank where he works. George is trying to decide between two investment opportunities: a simple factory pitched by a poorer man and a larger-scale scheme proposed by a richer man. When the children remind him of simpler times and his own childhood values (“A Man Has Dreams”), George decides to choose the factory for investment.
Mary takes the children to “Feed the Birds” outside St. Paul’s Cathedral, and to a magic shop that sells words (“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”). When they return home, they discover that George’s investment has gone horribly wrong, and the bank has suspended him. He furiously sends the children to their room, and they bicker and fight with each other. Mary tries to teach them how to take better care of their toys (“Playing the Game”), but realizing they still have much to learn, she decides to leave them for a while.
Winifred decides to prove to George that she can manage the family’s affairs by hiring his childhood nanny, Miss Andrew, to replace Mary. Unfortunately, she did not know that Miss Andrew is a brutal, nasty woman who George has been terrified of ever since. The children are equally afraid of her and run to the park to escape her, where they find Bert, who cheers them up with a bit of kite-flying (“Let’s Go Fly a Kite”). Mary returns to surprise them.
After his suspension, George feels he is “Good for Nothing.” Winifred tries to find a way to comfort him. Mary returns home with the children and confronts Miss Andrew, freeing her beloved bird from its cage and banishing her in a birdcage of her own. Winifred and George come home and are relieved to find that Miss Andrew has left and Mary is back in charge. Bert leads his chimney sweep friends in “Step in Time.” which causes a mess in the Banks’ house.
George receives a telegram summoning him to a meeting at the bank and assumes he will be fired. He sets off to the bank, and Winifred decides to follow him for support, and Mary follows with the children. When he arrives, the bank manager informs George that he has not been fired, but in fact his investment in the factory has made millions. Winifred arrives to explain why the bank manager should not fire George and is delighted to find that they are promoting him instead.
Finding the family reunited and happy, Mary decides it is once again time for her to leave, and she flies off with her umbrella.
Mary Poppins flies in by umbrella and immediately takes charge of the children as their new nanny, assuring them that she is “Practically Perfect” in every way. She takes them on their first outing to the park, where they meet Bert. At first they are scared by his dirty appearance, but she teaches them to look beyond appearances by bringing the park’s statues to life (“Jolly Holliday”).
Meanwhile in the Banks household, Winifred is struggling with “Being Mrs. Banks,” and George seems embarrassed by his wife’s ineffectiveness. She decides to surprise him by organising a tea party, and when the children inadvertently wreck her plans, Mary teaches them to fix it with a “Spoonful of Sugar.” She then brings the children to visit George at the bank where he works. George is trying to decide between two investment opportunities: a simple factory pitched by a poorer man and a larger-scale scheme proposed by a richer man. When the children remind him of simpler times and his own childhood values (“A Man Has Dreams”), George decides to choose the factory for investment.
Mary takes the children to “Feed the Birds” outside St. Paul’s Cathedral, and to a magic shop that sells words (“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”). When they return home, they discover that George’s investment has gone horribly wrong, and the bank has suspended him. He furiously sends the children to their room, and they bicker and fight with each other. Mary tries to teach them how to take better care of their toys (“Playing the Game”), but realizing they still have much to learn, she decides to leave them for a while.
Winifred decides to prove to George that she can manage the family’s affairs by hiring his childhood nanny, Miss Andrew, to replace Mary. Unfortunately, she did not know that Miss Andrew is a brutal, nasty woman who George has been terrified of ever since. The children are equally afraid of her and run to the park to escape her, where they find Bert, who cheers them up with a bit of kite-flying (“Let’s Go Fly a Kite”). Mary returns to surprise them.
After his suspension, George feels he is “Good for Nothing.” Winifred tries to find a way to comfort him. Mary returns home with the children and confronts Miss Andrew, freeing her beloved bird from its cage and banishing her in a birdcage of her own. Winifred and George come home and are relieved to find that Miss Andrew has left and Mary is back in charge. Bert leads his chimney sweep friends in “Step in Time.” which causes a mess in the Banks’ house.
George receives a telegram summoning him to a meeting at the bank and assumes he will be fired. He sets off to the bank, and Winifred decides to follow him for support, and Mary follows with the children. When he arrives, the bank manager informs George that he has not been fired, but in fact his investment in the factory has made millions. Winifred arrives to explain why the bank manager should not fire George and is delighted to find that they are promoting him instead.
Finding the family reunited and happy, Mary decides it is once again time for her to leave, and she flies off with her umbrella.
