document_title: Mary Poppins (musical)

question_text: who played bert in mary poppins on broadway

text: Mary Poppins (musical)

text: Development[edit]

text: In 1993, theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh met P.L. Travers and acquired the rights to develop a stage play adaptation of her Mary Poppins books. She only agreed to a stage production as long as the creators were all English, and no one who had worked on the film. She died in 1996. In 2001, Mackintosh and the head of Disney Theatrical Thomas Schumacher opened talks on a possible collaboration, so that the stage play would be able to use the songs from the Disney film. With both sides committed, a preliminary outline of the show was written in 2002.[2]

text: Around this time, songwriters George Stiles and Anthony Drewe heard about the project, and independently wrote a demo version of a new introductory song for the character of Mary, titled "Practically Perfect". They submitted the song to Mackintosh, and due to his positive response, were officially brought on to the creative team. Julian Fellowes was brought on to write the show's script because of his "clear understanding of the social niceties of the English class system that prevailed in the Edwardian era".[2]

text: An experienced production team was assembled, including Sir Richard Eyre, multi award-winning director of film, theatre and opera; and Bob Crowley, a theatre designer who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera. Crowley also has six Tony Awards for various Broadway productions.

text: A workshop of the show was held at the end of 2003 at the rehearsal room at London's Old Vic Theatre, using the cast of My Fair Lady, which had just closed in the West End.[2] After four weeks of rehearsals at Sadler's Wells, the production moved to Bristol, where an out-of-town tryout opened at the Bristol Hippodrome on September 15, 2004.

text: Productions[edit]

text: Original West End production[edit]

text: Cameron Mackintosh's stage adaptation of Mary Poppins had its world premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome starting with previews from September 15, 2004, before officially opening on September 18 for a limited engagement until November 6. The production then moved to the Prince Edward Theatre on December 15, 2004, making it the only Disney musical to have premiered in the UK. The role of Mary was played by Laura Michelle Kelly, who subsequently won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role, and the role of Bert was played by Gavin Lee. Notable replacements have included Scarlett Strallen, Lisa O'Hare and Caroline Sheen as Mary Poppins and Gavin Creel as Bert (in July 2006).[3]

text: The show sparked mild controversy not long after its debut when producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher banned children below 3 years old from entering the theatre, deeming the show too scary for young children.[4][5] The ban remained throughout the show's entire run, during which the theatre staff were to prevent patrons with children below 3 to enter. The show was officially tagged as being "for children seven years and up".

text: On March 17, 2005, Julie Andrews, who played Mary Poppins in the film, visited the show as a guest. She appeared onstage during the curtain calls, where she gave a speech recalling her own memories from making the film and praising the cast for their new interpretation.[6] The production closed on January 12, 2008, after a run of more than three years.[7]

text: Original Broadway production[edit]

text: Following the success of the West End production, a Broadway production debuted on November 16, 2006, at the New Amsterdam Theatre after previews from October 14. Ashley Brown played the title role, and Gavin Lee, who had originated the role of Bert in the West End production, reprised his role on Broadway. Daniel H. Jenkins played George Banks, Rebecca Luker was Winifred, and Matthew Gumley and Henry Hodges played Michael. Starting on 9 October 2008, the role of Mary was played by Scarlett Strallen (reprising her role from the West End production) and Bert was played by Adam Fiorentino. Laura Michelle Kelly, who originated the role of Mary in London, took over the role on Broadway on October 12, 2009. Christian Borle joined the cast the same day as Bert.[8] Nicolas Dromard played Bert from July 16 to August 22, 2010.[9] Lee returned to the role of Bert on August 24, 2010, and was reunited with former London co-star, Kelly.[10] Brown returned to the title role from March 8 to July 17, 2011, while Kelly was away filming a movie, reuniting her with Lee, and Kelly returned to role on July 19, 2011.[11]

text: The Broadway production differed from the London production in that the "Jolly Holiday" sequence was staged in full technicolour instead of the gray tones of the London show, and in "Anything Can Happen" the stairs to the heavens were replaced by a giant version of Mary's umbrella entering from the stage floor. These changes were later transferred back to the West End production. Most recently, A new song has been added to the score, titled "Playing the Game". This replaces the already new "Temper, Temper" in the first act. This change has been added to all current and future productions of the show.[citation needed]

text: The Broadway production received generally positive reviews, ranging from enthusiastic[12] to lukewarm.[13] Many critics praised the show for its technical merits.[14][15] After running 52 weeks, the show recouped its original investment.[16] On July 16, 2011, the Broadway production became the 30th longest running show in Broadway history.[17]

text: The production closed on March 3, 2013, after more than six years and 2,619 performances on Broadway, to make way for Disney's Aladdin.[18] The closing cast included Steffanie Leigh as Mary and Dromard as Bert.[19][20]

text: National tours[edit]

text: For the touring productions of the show, designer Bob Crowley changed the sets, making the Banks' Household smaller in size, and deleting numerous intermediate scenes, so that smaller theatres could accommodate the large-scale demands of the production.

text: A UK tour of the London production commenced on June 4, 2008, and ended on April 18, 2009, with stops at venues including the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Edinburgh Playhouse, and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.[21] Its cast featured Caroline Sheen as Mary Poppins, Daniel Crossley as Bert, Martin Ball as George Banks and Louise Bowden as Winifred Banks.[22] Lisa O'Hare took over the role of Mary on October 27, 2008. The UK Tour became the show's last production to include "Temper, Temper" before it was replaced by "Playing the Game" in future productions.

text: A United States tour began previews on March 11, 2009, with the opening night on March 25, featuring Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee reprising their roles as Mary and Bert, respectively.[23][24] The tour began at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, and played in many U.S. cities. On November 15, 2009, during the opening night in Los Angeles, Dick Van Dyke (who played Bert in the film) appeared onstage during the encore.[25] On January 22, 2010, to raise funds for a local charity and as part of a D23 event, Van Dyke did a cameo of his other role from the original film of Mr. Dawes Sr.[26] In 2009, the song "Temper, Temper" was cut and replaced by a new musical number, titled "Playing the Game."[27] Sheen took over the role of Mary from Brown in February 2010 in Tempe, Arizona and played the role until February 2011.Nicolas Dromard, who previously understudied the role of Bert on Broadway, took over the role from September 2010 until September 2011.[9] Steffanie Leigh joined the cast as Mary Poppins on February 8, 2011[28] and was replaced on December 6, 2011, by Megan Osterhaus who had played Winifred Banks on Broadway and later returned to Broadway as Winifred.[29] The U.S. National tour played its last performance on June 2, 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska.[citation needed]

text: A new UK tour began at the Curve Theatre, Leicester on October 13, 2015, directed by Richard Eyre. It starred Zizi Strallen as Mary Poppins and Matt Lee reprising his original role in the Australian production as Bert.[30]

text: International productions[edit]

text: Mary Poppins has been played in Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States, and has been translated into thirteen languages (Swedish, Finnish, Hungarian, Danish, Dutch, Czech, Estonian, Spanish, Icelandic, German, Norwegian, Italian, and Japanese). Over eleven million people have seen the show worldwide.

text: The first foreign-language production opened on October 18, 2008 at the Gothenburg opera house, where it ran until March 14, 2009.[31] This production was externally licensed by Disney Theatrical and performed entirely in Swedish, with the book translated by Magnus Lindman. The musical director was Björn Dobbelaere, with actors Linda Olsson as Mary and Magnus Borén as Bert.

text: Other European productions include:

text:
The Finnish production opened at the Helsinki City Theatre on August 11, 2009 and ran until May 8, 2010.[32][33]
On February 18, 2010 a Danish production opened in Copenhagen, Denmark at the Det Ny Teater, starring Charlotte Guldberg as Mary and Kristian Studsgaard as Bert.[34]
The Hungarian production opened in Budapest, Hungary in September 2009.
From April 11, 2010 to August 28, 2011 a Dutch language production ran at the Fortis Circustheater in The Hague, produced by Stage Entertainment. Noortje Herlaar, the actress who played the role of Mary was found in the TV show Op zoek naar Mary Poppins. William Spaaij portrayed Bert.[35][36]
A Czech production opened in Brno, Czech Republic in November 2010.
In November 2011 the Estonian production opened at the Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu, with performances also in Tallinn. The original cast included Hanna-Liina Võsa and Nele-Liis Vaiksoo in the role of Mary.
In October 2012, Stage Entertainment announced that Mary Poppins would open in Paris in the 2013/14 season, but after months of unsuccessful searching for an actress to play the role of Mary, Cameron Mackintosh decided to cancel the project.[37]
A Icelandic production opened at the Reykjavik City Theatre in Reykjavik, Iceland on February 22, 2013.
The German-language premiere of the musical ran at the Ronacher Theater in Vienna, Austria from October 1, 2014 to January 31, 2016. The cast included Annemieke van Dam as Mary and David Boyd as Bert.[38]
On October 23, 2016 a second German-language version opened at the Apollo-Theater in Stuttgart, produced by Stage Entertainment and starring Elisabeth Hübert as Mary and David Boyd as Bert.[39] After closing in Stuttgart on January 28, 2018 the show was transferred to the Stage Theater an der Elbe in Hamburg from February 25, 2018.
An Italian production premiered on February 13, 2018 at the Teatro Nazionale in Milan, with Giulia Fabbri as Mary and Davide Sammartano as Bert.[40]

text: The Australian production began previews at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne on 14 July 2010, officially on 29 July. The cast included Matt Lee as Bert, Philip Quast as Mr. Banks, Marina Prior as Winifred Banks, Debra Byrne as The Bird Woman, and Judi Connelli as Miss Andrew. Verity Hunt-Ballard was awarded the role of Mary Poppins late in the casting stage, after a long search.[41] She was temporarily replaced towards the end of the Sydney run by Scarlett Strallen, who had starred in the role in both the West End and Broadway productions. An Australian Cast Recording was released on February 18, 2011.[42] The Melbourne production closed on April 1, 2011.[43] The musical played in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre from April 2011[44] to mid December 2011.[45] The musical then went on an Australian tour, playing at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane until March 2012 and the Burswood Theatre, Perth until June 2012. After a four-month break, the production opened at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, from 18 October[46] until 30 December 2012.

text: From November 14, 2012 to August 11, 2013, a Spanish-language version of the show ran at the Centro Cultural in Mexico City, produced by Ocesa Teatro and starring Bianca Marroquin as Mary and Mauricio Salas as Bert.[47]

text: In April 2015 Brazilian entertainment company Time for Fun opened auditions for the Portuguese-language premiere in São Paulo, but eventually the production was cancelled.[48]

text: The first Japanese language production opened on March 25, 2018 in Tokyo before moving to Osaka in May 2018.[49]

text: Original Production Cast members[edit]

text:
Character
2004 West End
2006 Broadway
2008 UK Tour
2009 US Tour
2010 Melbourne
2015 UK Tour

Mary Poppins
Laura Michelle Kelly
Ashley Brown
Caroline Sheen
Ashley Brown
Verity Hunt-Ballard
Zizi Strallen

Bert
Gavin Lee
Daniel Crossley
Gavin Lee
Matt Lee
Matt Lee

George Banks
David Haig
Daniel H. Jenkins
Martin Ball
Karl Kenzler
Philip Quast
Milo Twomey

Winifred Banks
Linzi Hateley
Rebecca Luker
Louise Bowden
Megan Osterhaus
Marina Prior
Rebecca Lock

Jane Banks
Nicola Bowman
Carrie Fletcher
Poppy Lee Friar
Charlotte Spencer
Faye Spittlehouse
Katherine Doherty
Delaney Moro
Kathryn Faughnan
Maddy Allison
Liberty Cheesman
Rhian Davies
Niamh Coombes
Chloe Jones
Molly Phillips
Isabella Sedgwick
Abigail Droeger
Aida Neitenbach
Katie Balen
Bailey Grey
Kelsey Fowler
Camille Mancuso
Paige Simunovich
Marissa Smoker
Annie Baltic
Camden Angelis
Victoria Borcsok
Hayley Edwards
Zoe Gousmett
Scout Hook
Sara Reed
Felicity Biggs
Verity Biggs
Violet Tucker
Maia West
Lottie Sicilia

Michael Banks
Jake Catterall
Perry Millward
Jack Montgomery
Harry Stott
Ben Watton
Matthew Gumley
Henry Hodges
Alexander Scheitinger
Charlie Callaghan
Tyler Fagan
Thomas Goodall
Max Griesbach
William Pearce
George Spittle-McGuire
Justin Hall
Christopher Flaim
Bryce Baldwin
Zach Rand
Carter Thomas
Talon Ackerman
Cade Canon Ball
Tyler Merna
Dakota Ruiz
Reese Sebastian Diaz
Mark Balas
Callum Hawthorne
Trent Heath
Kade Hughes
Kurtis Papadinis
Diego Sanna
Louis Fernee
Finley Miller
Cameron Lant
Regan Garcia

Miss. Andrew
Rosemary Ashe
Ruth Gottschall
Deryn Edwards
Ellen Harvey
Judi Connelli
Penelope Woodman

Bird Woman
Julia Sutton
Cass Morgan
Valda Aviks
Mary Van Arsdel
Debra Byrne
Grainne Renihan

Mrs. Brill
Jenny Galloway
Jane Carr
Shirley Jameson
Valerie Boyle
Sally Anne Upton
Wendy Ferguson

Robertson Ay
Gerard Carey
Mark Price
Mark Anderson
Andrew Keenan-Bolger
Christopher Rickerby
Blair Anderson

Mrs. Corry
Melanie La Barrie
Janelle Anne Robinson
Tania Mathurin
Q. Smith
Leah Howard
Wreh-Asha Walton

Park Keeper
Kevin Williams
Nick Corley
Kraig Thornber
Tom Souhrada
Jack Webster
Anthony Lawrence

Admiral Boom
Ian Murford
Michael McCarty
Ronald Markham
Mike O'Carroll
David Henry
Graham Hoadly

Miss. Lark
Claire Machin
Ann Arvia
Laura Medforth
Wendy James
Anna-Lee Robertson
Sophie Caton

Neleus
Stuart Neal
Brian Letendre
Stuart Winter
Brian Letendre
Mitch Fistrovic
Yves Adang

Katie Nanna
Louisa Shaw
Megan Osterhaus
Sophie Caton
Emily Harvey
Natalie Alexopoulos
Claire Parrish

Northbrook
Nathan Taylor
Matt Loehr
Martin Neely
Dominic Roberts
Adam Murphy
John Stacey

Von Hussler
Alan Vicary
Sean McCourt
Ian Caddick
Michael Gerhart
Troy Sussman
Anthony Lawrence

Policeman
Tim Morgan
James Hindman
Christopher Dickins
Laird Mackintosh
Adam Murphy
John Stacey

text: Synopsis[edit]

text: Act I[edit]

text: Bert, a man of many professions, introduces the audience to Cherry Tree Lane ("Chim Chim Cher-ee/Cherry Tree Lane- Part 1") in Edwardian London. Number 17 is where the Banks family lives: George and Winifred Banks, their two naughty children Jane and Michael, their cook, Mrs. Brill and their odd-job man, Robertson Ay. Things are not going well for Jane and Michael. They are out of control and, as the show starts, their latest nanny, Katie Nanna, storms out. After that, Mrs. Brill and Robertson Ay complain about living in a "madhouse." The children decide to write the advertisement for a new nanny ("The Perfect Nanny"), but George, having a very different idea of what constitutes the perfect nanny, tears up the piece of paper and throws it in the fireplace. Within moments, Mary Poppins arrives, restored advertisement in hand, and takes charge of the Banks children, having every confidence in her own qualifications and merits ("Practically Perfect").

text: On the children's first outing to the park, they meet Bert and, despite their reservations about his ragged clothes and dirty face, Mary teaches them that they must learn to look past appearances. To illustrate the point, Mary brings the park statues, including a mythological figure named Neleus, to life ("Jolly Holiday").

text: While Mary manages the children, other problems lie with their parents. Winifred is aware that she is somehow disappointing both her children and her husband ("Being Mrs Banks"). George, on the other hand, can't understand why she finds the role of wife and mother so difficult ("Cherry Tree Lane (reprise)"). In an effort to please her husband, Winifred sends out invitations for a smart tea party. Mrs. Brill makes the preparations, while telling an eager Robertson Ay to keep his hands off. The children inadvertently sabotage the kitchen preparations, but Mary sorts it out with a lesson ("A Spoonful of Sugar"). However, it is then revealed that none of the invitees are coming.

text: Mary takes the children to visit their father at the bank where he works ("Precision and Order"). There, George is busy dealing with possible investment clients: firstly, an ambitious man named Herr Von Hussler with an elaborate money-making scheme, and then a middle-class man named John Northbrook with a simple factory project. George is furious when Mary turns up with the children, but an innocent question asked by Jane (What's more important, a good man or a good idea?) makes him realise how much his values have changed ("A Man Has Dreams") since he was an idealistic young man. He then decides to accept Northbrook's project and rejects Von Hussler's, but unfortunately things take a turn for the worse afterwards.

text: Outside St. Paul's Cathedral, Mary introduces the children to the Bird Woman ("Feed the Birds"). Jane is suspicious of her, but Michael responds to the Bird Woman and throws crumbs for the birds. On the trip home, the children meet the enigmatic Mrs. Corry who runs a magic sweet shop that also sells words ("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious").

text: The children return home in high spirits, unaware that things have gone wrong for their father. Unknown to them, George's decision to reject Von Hussler has cost the bank dearly, and he is suspended without pay. George explodes with rage at the children and they are sent to the nursery. Reacting to her father's outburst, Mary briefly points out that other members of the family are rarely there to take care of the parents, before Jane and Michael get into a fight over Jane's doll Valentine, prompting a displeased Mary to order them to bed and enchant them to sleep. The frightening consequence of Jane's anger becomes apparent moments afterwards, as Valentine and the rest of Jane and Michael's disgruntled toys come to life and join Mary in teaching them a lesson in how to take better care of their belongings and toys (formerly "Temper, Temper", now "Playing the Game").

text: Believing that Jane and Michael need personal growth, Mary decides to leave Cherry Tree Lane ("Chim Chim Cher-ee – Rooftop Duet"), to bring them to their senses. Her distraught charges find a note saying that perhaps they will see Mary again eventually.

text: Act II[edit]

text: In a misguided attempt to please her husband, Winifred arranges for his childhood nanny, Miss Andrew, to take over from the suddenly departed Mary ("Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise)"). At the sight of her, a terrified George flees, exclaiming "the Holy Terror!" To everyone's shock and dismay, Miss Andrew is a brutal and cruel tyrant, quick to administer her own terrible elixir ("Brimstone and Treacle Part 1") and discipline by threatening to split Jane and Michael up through boarding school.

text: Terrified of their new nanny, the children escape to the park and find their good friend Bert, who cheers them up and helps Michael fulfill his dream of flying a kite ("Let's Go Fly a Kite"). This marks the return of Mary. Jane and Michael are thrilled to be reunited with her, and then quickly tell her of the changes that have gone on at Number 17.

text: Also hiding in the park is George, who is depressed over his supposed lack of achievements ("Good For Nothing"). Searching for him is Winifred, who at last understands her husband and the damage that was done to him by Miss Andrew ("Being Mrs Banks (Reprise)").

text: When the children return to Number 17, Mary sets Caruso, Miss Andrew's lark, free from his cage. This leads to confrontation between the two nannies, ending with Miss Andrew having a taste of her own medicine as she is put in a large birdcage and vanishes down below ("Brimstone and Treacle Part 2"). Winifred and then George return at this point, surprised but pleased that Miss Andrew has "left".

text: On their next adventure, Bert introduces the children to his friends the chimney sweeps ("Step in Time"). The sweeps' dance eventually enters the house, causing chaos. As the sweeps quickly exit, George receives a telegram from the bank requesting his presence there. George assumes that it is to seal his fate and decides it's time to sell the family heirloom. However, the vase is shattered accidentally by Mrs. Brill, who goes into a despairing shock since she had been cleaning it from the top of the shelf. When she is being led away for comfort, George goes to clean the broken pile himself, to find it reveal a collection of gingerbread stars from his childhood. This leads to a brief moment of reflection for George ("A Man Has Dreams/ A Spoonful of Sugar (Reprise)"). After shaking hands with Bert, George leaves to meet the Chairman of the Bank.

text: At the children's encouragement, Winifred decides to follow her heart and be at George's side at the bank ("Anything Can Happen"). Unseen to anyone else, Mary takes Jane and Michael to follow, where they watch the unfolding events.

text: At the bank, George is surprised to learn the consequence of his choice: far from ruining the bank, he has made a fortune by both rejecting Von Hussler and approving Mr. Northbrook's loan. They ask for the word that made them so successful, which George admits to be Mary's word, ("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Reprise)"). Winifred, arriving to defend her husband, finds instead he is the hero of the hour. After she mentions Miss Andrew's name to the Bank Manager, the old man too relates his experience under "the Holy Terror". George apologizes for underestimating her, and together they return to the house ("Anything Can Happen (Reprise)").

text: Mary realizes that with the family reunited and happy, her task is done. With regret, she says goodbye to Bert with a kiss and sets off ("A Spoonful of Sugar (Farewell Reprise)"). Jane and Michael accept that Mary is leaving them and tell her that they'll never forget her. The two children watch as their parents waltz happily together and Mary flies high above the audience, disappearing in a flash.

text: Differences from the film and books[edit]

text: The stage musical is not a direct adaptation of the Disney film, but features elements of the film and the original books, plus original updated elements. The dancing penguins in the "Jolly Holiday" sequence and the tea party on the ceiling at Uncle Albert's (likely due to the inability to make things float on stage) from the film have been removed, although some community theatres dress their chorus as penguins for "Jolly Holiday". The character of Neleus from the books comes to life in the musical, but was not seen the film. Mrs. Corry and her daughters have a cameo in the film, and are in the musical and books. There are many elements from the books that do not appear in the film or musical, such as Nellie Rubina and the Balloon Woman.

text: The musical places more emphasis on Jane and Michael being naughty and their parents being dysfunctional to heighten the drama. Jane and Michael are constantly answering back and fighting, necessitating a new sequence where Mary brings Jane's doll Valentine and the other toys to life to berate them in the song "Playing the Game". This sequence, originally titled "Temper Temper," was inspired from a chapter in the books titled Bad Wednesday. George Banks has been expanded from the film: in the musical it is revealed that he had a difficult childhood in which he was ignored by his parents, Jane and Michael's paternal grandparents, and was placed under the care of a fearsome nanny. This nanny, Miss Andrew, a character from the books, makes an appearance in the musical as the polar opposite of Mary Poppins, advocating "brimstone and treacle" instead of "a spoonful of sugar". Winifred Banks is no longer the suffragette of the film, but a former actress who is struggling to fulfill her husband's expectations of her. The character of Ellen the maid, played by Hermione Baddeley in the film, was cut entirely. A new character, Miss Smythe, was created to introduce the bank chairman. Admiral Boom does not blow his cannon making the house shake like he does in the film.

text: Also cut was the role of Miss Persimmon, played by Marjorie Eaton in the film. The bank chairman's father does not make an appearance like in the film, nor does Mr. Binnacle, Admiral Boom's assistant. New characters were developed to create a new conflict at the bank, the nice John Northbrook and scheming Herr Von Hussler. The park keeper from the books is in the musical but not the film. Another character from the books that is in the musical is Robertson Ay, the houseboy, who did not appear in the film. In the books, Jane and Michael have twin siblings, John and Barbara, and a baby sister Annabel, that do not appear in the stage or screen versions.

text: A number of musical sequences have been modified from their purpose in the film. These are:

text:
"A Spoonful of Sugar" – Originally sung when Mary first arrives at the Banks home; has been moved to a completely new sequence later in the show where the children destroy the Banks kitchen and Mary helps them fix it. It is also referred to in "Brimstone and Treacle Part 2" and featured briefly as a reprise at the finale.
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" – Originally sung during the park outing; has been moved to Mrs. Corry's sweet shop outing. It is also sung when George goes to his workplace (during the Anything Can Happen sequence) and during the curtain call. The song itself is also distinctly different, as the word is spelled, both vocally and physically.
"Feed the Birds" – Originally sung by Mary before the Banks children visit their father's workplace; has been moved to after the visit and is now sung as a duet between Mary and the Birdwoman. The later musical reprise, during the scene where George walks to the bank, still occurs, but omits the film's memorable dramatic suggestion that the Birdwoman has died. Instead a reformed George shares a joyous moment with her.
"Let's Go Fly a Kite" – Originally sung as the finale by the Banks family at the end of the film; has been moved to near the beginning of Act 2, where it is sung by Bert and the Banks children.

text: Major characters[edit]

text:
Mary Poppins – the namesake and lead female character. Her last name describes her behavior, because she tends to "pop in" and "pop out" of children's lives whenever she pleases. She has the ability to fly and perform magic. Her trademark looks are dark hair, rosy cheeks, long coats, an umbrella with a parrot head, and her hat with cherry stems. Her family and background is never mentioned in the musical, although in the original books she has an uncle Albert Wigg, and a cousin, Arthur. She also claims to be cousins with inanimate things like the Man in the Moon, and a King cobra at the zoo. In one story in the original book, she briefly mentions her mother. She moves into 17 Cherry Lane to help the Banks Family.
Bert – the narrator and leading man. In the book, his full name is Herbert Alfred. He is a song and dance man, charismatic and charming. A "jack of all trades", it is hinted he possesses some magic ability as well, or at least knows all about the magical world that Mary Poppins comes from. It is mentioned Bert has known Mary before the story starts, but no details of how are mentioned. His family and background are also never mentioned, nor where he lives. Bert spends time in the park that sits on one side of Cherry Tree Lane, and he mentioned that he has seen Jane and Michael before, but it is not until Mary Poppins arrives that he interacts with them.
Winifred Banks – the wife of George Banks, and mother to Jane and Michael. In the musical and film, she is presented as a society woman. In the film, she is a suffragette and involved in social causes. In the musical, she is a former actress. Her family and maiden name are not mentioned, however in the books, she has two aunts that are mentioned, Aunt Flossie and Aunt Caroline. In the musical, Winifred is shown to be confused and overwhelmed with her family and her role in it. It is hinted that she did not grow up in the same strict manner as her husband, perhaps she did not even have a nanny as a child, and is not from this area, which makes it difficult for her to connect and make friends. In the original books, she has five children instead of two, including the twins, John and Barbara, and later a baby, Annabel.
George Banks – the husband of Winifred, and father of Jane and Michael Banks. George grew up in a very strict and stern household. He mentions hardly ever seeing his mother and father, who did not believe in public displays of affection. George works at a bank in London, and it is hinted that his father did as well. George had a nanny named Miss Euphemia Andrew as a child, who was also very strict. George is often away at work and rarely spends time with the children. In the film and musical, as the story goes on, he learns lessons about being more affectionate to his family and is taught that they are more important than work.
Jane Caroline Banks – the eldest of George and Winifred, she is described as being messy and having a bad temper. Her middle name in the books is Caroline, which is after Winifred's Aunt Caroline, who is also Jane's godmother.
Michael Banks – the son of George and Winifred. He is a mischievous little boy who likes to play pranks on his nannies and not follow the rules. He longs for more attention and time with his father, which is most likely the cause of his behavior.
Mrs. Clara Brill – the maid for the Banks family. She is overworked and often stressed due to the behavior of the children and the demands placed on her by Mr. and Mrs. Banks. Her family and background are never mentioned. She appears in the original books and film, which also feature another maid, Ellen. In the musical, Ellen was cut and only Mrs. Brill appears.
Robertson Ay – the houseboy for the Banks family. He appears in the original books, but not in the film. His background and family are never mentioned. He is described as being lazy and sleepy. He often is the cause of chaos and is not very helpful, however the Banks family puts up with him.
Miss Euphemia Andrew – George Banks' former nanny. She appears in the original books but not in the film. She is a very mean and strict nanny, the antagonist of the story. In the musical, after Mary Poppins leaves, Winifred contacts her and asks her to come to Cherry Tree Lane, which ends with a duel with Mary Poppins that ends with Mary defeating her and sending her off. Miss Andrew is described as an old spinster, never having married or having children of her own. She is mentioned throughout Act 1 of the musical but does not appear until Act II, which features her song "Brimstone and Treacle". Miss Andrew owns a beloved pet bird, a lark.
Mrs. Clara Corry – Mrs. Corry is a magical woman who operates a magical pop-up "Talking Shop". Her customers are described as magical people known as "Chatterboxes" who feed off of good conversation and difficult words. Her shop is in the park and she is helped by her two daughters, Annie and Fannie. Mr. Corry is never mentioned. Mrs. Corry and her daughters are characters from the original books, and also appear in a cameo in the Mary Poppins film. In the musical, she leads the chorus, along with Mary and Bert, in singing and spelling out "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". She is described as being one of the oldest women in the world (although she doesn't look it). In the book and musical, she also gives out candy and assorted treats, including gingerbread stars that have real stars from the sky on them that customers can then light and place in the sky. In the musical she mentions that George Banks used to come into her shop when he was a child, however it is not explained how this is possible.
The Bird Woman – The Bird Woman is a beggar woman who is dressed in rags and looks disheveled. She sits on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral in London everyday, selling bags of crumbs for a tuppence. The cathedral is near the bank where George works, and after their visit, Jane and Michael meet the woman and Michael purchases a bag from her with the money he was given from Mr. Northbrook. Mary Poppins tells the children not to look down on her and respect her through the song "Feed the Birds". In Act II, George Banks, for the first time, stops at the steps and gives the Bird Woman money. She is a character from the books and the film. Her background and name is never mentioned.
Miss Lucinda Emily Lark – Miss Lark is the elderly lady that lives in an elaborate home next door to the Banks family. She appears in the books and in the film. She often runs into Jane and Michael on Cherry Tree Lane when she is out walking her dog, Willoughby. In the books it is mentioned she has maids that take care of her home and garden for her. Her family is never mentioned. She has a flirtatious relationship with Admiral Boom.
Park Keeper - The gruff but lovable watchman of the park.
Neleus - Neleus is a statue in the park across from the Banks house. Jane and Michael have often stood under the statue and played on it. When Mary Poppins arrives, she brings Neleus to life in "Jolly Holiday" and he becomes friends with the children. In Act II, Mary Poppins reunites Neleus with Poseidon, the King of the Sea. They had been separated much like Michael has been with his father.
Bank Chairman - George Banks' boss, head of the bank.
Valentine - Jane's favorite doll. In the musical, he is brought to life by Mary Poppins and performs the song "Playing the Game" along with the other toys. The song is meant to teach the children a lesson about playing nicely with others and appreciating the value of their toys. The children's refusal to do this leads to Mary Poppins leaving the Banks house for a while.
Admiral Boom – Admiral Boom is a retired sea captain that lives in a grand house next door to the Banks home. He appears in the original books and the film. He is an older man who often gives readings of the weather and keeps an eye out on the neighborhood. His house is described as being built to resemble a ship.
Policeman - a London cop that often chases after Michael and Jane Banks when they get into trouble.
Von Hussler- a wealthy business man who proposes an elaborate money-making scheme to George Banks.
John Northbrook- a normal business man who proposes a simpler factory plan to George Banks.
Katie Nanna – the last in a long line of nannies at Cherry Tree Lane before Mary Poppins arrives, Katie Nanna appears in the original books and the film. In the musical, she is only briefly seen at the beginning of the story in Act I, quitting her position after Jane and Michael refuse to listen to her and run off on her in the park.
Annie and Fannie - Miss Corry's excitable daughters

text: Songs[edit]

text: The following is the song list of the original London production. Subsequent productions have different songs or rearranged their order.

text:
Act I

"Chim Chim Cher-ee" – Bert
"Cherry Tree Lane" (Part 1) – George and Winifred Banks, Jane and Michael, Mrs. Brill, and Robertson Ay
"The Perfect Nanny" – Jane and Michael
"Cherry Tree Lane" (Part 2) – George and Winifred Banks, Jane and Michael, Mrs. Brill, and Robertson Ay
"Practically Perfect" – Mary Poppins, Jane, and Michael
"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (All Me Own Work)* – Bert
"Jolly Holiday" – Bert, Mary Poppins, Jane, Michael, Neleus, and the Statues
"Cherry Tree Lane" (Reprise) / "Being Mrs Banks" / "Jolly Holiday" (Reprise)* – George, Winifred, Jane, and Michael
"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (Winds Do Change)* - Bert
"A Spoonful of Sugar" – Mary Poppins, Jane, Michael, Robertson Ay, and Winifred
"Precision and Order"* – Chairman, Von Hussler, George
"A Man Has Dreams"* – George Banks
"Feed the Birds" – Bird Woman and Mary Poppins
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" – Mary Poppins, Mrs. Corry, Bert, Jane, Michael, Fannie, Annie, and Customers
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (Reprise)* – Bert and Customers
"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (Twists and Turns)* – Bert and Mary Poppins
"Temper, Temper" (2004–2009) − Valentine, Mr. Punch, William, Glamorous Doll, Jack-in-the Box, Toys
"Playing the Game" (2009–present)^ – Mary Poppins, Valentine, Toys
"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (Reprise) – Bert and Mary Poppins

Act II

"Cherry Tree Lane" (Reprise)* – Mrs. Brill, Michael, Jane, Winifred, Robertson Ay, and George
"Brimstone and Treacle" (Part 1) – Miss Andrew
"Let's Go Fly a Kite" – Bert, Park Keeper, Jane, and Michael
"Good for Nothing" – George
"Being Mrs Banks" (Reprise) – Winifred
"Brimstone and Treacle" (Part 2) – Mary Poppins and Miss Andrew
"Practically Perfect" (Reprise)* – Jane, Michael, and Mary Poppins
"Chim Chim Cher-ee" (Reprise)* – Bert
"Step in Time" – Bert, Mary Poppins, Jane, Michael, and the Sweeps
"Step in Time" (Reprise)* – Bert, Mary Poppins, Jane, Michael, and the Sweeps
"A Man Has Dreams" (Reprise) / "A Spoonful of Sugar" (Reprise) – George and Bert
"Anything Can Happen" – Mary Poppins, Jane, Michael, Winifred, Bert, Mrs. Corry, and the Company
"A Spoonful of Sugar" (Reprise) / "A Shooting Star" – Mary Poppins

text:
*Not included in the Original London Cast recording.
^"Playing the Game" replaced "Temper, Temper" in 2009.

text: Songs that were in the original movie but omitted from the musical are:

text:
"Sister Suffragette" (replaced by "Being Mrs. Banks" and its reprise)
"The Life I Lead" (replaced by the thematically similar "Precision and Order")
"Stay Awake"
"I Love to Laugh"
"Fidelity Fiduciary Bank"

text: A deleted song for Mrs. Banks was called "What I Can Do", according to an interview with George Stiles and Richard Sherman. It was thought to be a sort of 1920s-style number, so they later wrote "Being Mrs. Banks" instead.[50]

text: Recordings[edit]

text: The original London cast recording of the show was released shortly after its West End premiere. It features most of the major musical numbers from the show's score. When the Broadway production opened, a recording was released featuring several songs with the original American cast, including an edited version of "Feed the Birds" for Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins in the original American cast) on the song. On 18 February 2011, the Australian cast recording was released; the first recording to include the changes made to the show's score since its first London production.

text:
Chart positions*
Australian version*

text:
Chart (2012)
Peak
position

Australian Albums (ARIA)[51]
13

text: Dutch version*

text:
Chart (2010)
Peak
position

Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[52]
2

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Original London production[edit]

text:
Year
Award Ceremony
Category
Nominee
Result

2005
Laurence Olivier Award
Best New Musical
Nominated

Best Actor in a Musical
Gavin Lee
Nominated

Best Actress in a Musical
Laura Michelle Kelly
Won

Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical
David Haig
Nominated

Best Director
Richard Eyre and Matthew Bourne
Nominated

Best Theatre Choreographer
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear
Won

Best Set Design
Bob Crowley
Nominated

Best Costume Design
Nominated

Best Lighting Design
Howard Harrison
Nominated

text: Original Broadway production[edit]

text:
Year
Award Ceremony
Category
Nominee
Result

2007
Tony Award
Best Musical
Nominated

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Gavin Lee
Nominated

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Rebecca Luker
Nominated

Best Choreography
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear
Nominated

Best Scenic Design
Bob Crowley
Won

Best Costume Design
Nominated

Best Lighting Design
Howard Harrison
Nominated

Drama Desk Award
Outstanding Musical
Nominated

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Julian Fellowes
Nominated

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Ashley Brown
Nominated

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Gavin Lee
Won

Outstanding Choreography
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear
Nominated

Outstanding Set Design
Bob Crowley
Won


document_title: The Last of the Mohicans

question_text: where was the last of the mohicans written

root

text: The Last of the Mohicans

text: Historical background[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: At the time of Cooper's writing, many people believed that the Native Americans were disappearing, and would ultimately be assimilated or fail to survive. Especially in the East, their numbers continued to decline. At the same time, the author was interested in the period of the frontier of transition, when more colonists were increasing pressure on the Native Americans. He grew up in Cooperstown, New York, which his father had established on what was then a western frontier of settlement; it developed after the Revolutionary War.

tag: p

text: Cooper set this novel during the Seven Years' War, an international conflict between Great Britain and France, which had a front in North America known by the Anglo-American colonists as the French and Indian War. The conflict arrayed British colonial settlers and minimal regular forces against royal French forces, with both sides also relying on Native American allies. The war was fought primarily along the frontiers of the British colonies from Virginia to Nova Scotia.

text: In the spring of 1757, Lieutenant Colonel George Monro became garrison commander of Fort William Henry, located on Lake George (New York) in the Province of New York. In early August, Major General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and 7,000 troops besieged the fort. On 2 August General Webb, who commanded the area from his base at Fort Edward, sent 200 regulars and 800 Massachusetts militia to reinforce the garrison at William Henry. In the novel, this is the relief column with which Monro's daughters travel.

text: Monro sent messengers south to Fort Edward on 3 August requesting reinforcements, but Webb refused to send any of his estimated 1,600 men north because they were all that stood between the French and Albany. He wrote to Munro on 4 August that he should negotiate the best terms possible; this communication was intercepted and delivered to Montcalm. In Cooper's version, the missive was being carried by Bumppo when he, and it, fell into French hands.

text: On 7 August Montcalm sent men to the fort under a truce flag to deliver Webb's dispatch. By then the fort's walls had been breached, many of its guns were useless, and the garrison had taken significant casualties. After another day of bombardment by the French, Monro raised the white flag and agreed to withdraw under parle.

text: When the withdrawal began, some of Montcalm's Indian allies, angered at the lost opportunity for loot, attacked the British column. Cooper's account of the attack and aftermath is lurid and somewhat inaccurate. A detailed reconstruction of the action and its aftermath indicates that the final tally of British missing and dead ranges from 70 to 184;[5] more than 500 British were taken captive.

text: Plot summary[edit]

text: Cora and Alice Munro, daughters of Lieutenant Colonel Munro, are traveling with Major Duncan Heyward from Fort Edward to Fort William Henry, where Munro is in command, and acquire another companion in David Gamut, a naive singing teacher. They are guided through the forest by a native named Magua, who leads them through a shortcut unaccompanied by the British militia. Heyward is dissatisfied with Magua's shortcut, and the party roam unguided and finally join Natty Bumppo (known as Hawk-eye), a scout for the British, and his two Mohican friends, Chingachgook and his son Uncas. Heyward becomes suspicious of Magua, and Hawk-eye and the Mohicans agree with his suspicion, that Magua is a Huron scout secretly allied with the French. Upon discovery as such, Magua escapes, and in the (correct) belief that Magua will return with Huron reinforcements, Hawk-eye and the Mohicans lead their new companions to a hidden cave on an island in a river. They are attacked there by the Hurons, and when ammunition is exhausted, Hawk-eye and the Mohicans escape, with a promise to return for their companions. Magua and the Hurons capture Heyward, Gamut, and the Munro sisters, and Magua offers to spare the party if Cora becomes his wife, but she refuses. Upon a second refusal, he sentences the prisoners to death. Hawk-eye and the Mohicans rescue all four, and lead them to a dilapidated building that was involved with a battle between the Indians and the British some years ago. They are nearly attacked again, but the Hurons leave the area, rather than disturb the graves of their own fellow-countrymen. The next day, Hawk-eye leads the party to Fort Henry, past a siege by the French army. Munro sends Hawk-eye to Fort Edward for reinforcements; but he is captured by the French, who deliver him to Fort Henry without the letter. Heyward returns to Colonel Munro and announces his love for Alice, and Munro gives his permission for Heyward's courtship.

text: The French general, Montcalm, invites Munro to a parley, and shows him General Webb's letter, in which the British general has refused reinforcements. At this, Munro agrees to Montcalm's terms that the British soldiers, together with their wounded, women, and children, must leave the fort and withdraw from the war for eighteen months. Outside the fort, the column of British prisoners is attacked by 2000 Huron warriors; in the ensuing massacre, Magua kidnaps Cora and Alice, and he leads them toward the Huron village. David Gamut follows. After the massacre, Hawk-eye, the Mohicans, Heyward, and Colonel Munro follow Magua, and cross a lake to intercept his trail. A canoe chase ensues, in which the rescuers reach land before the Hurons can kill them, and eventually follow Magua to the Huron village. Here, they find Gamut (earlier spared by the Hurons as a harmless madman), who says that Alice is held in this village, and Cora in one belonging to the Lenape (Delaware). Disguised as a French medicine man, Heyward enters the Huron village with Gamut, to rescue Alice; Hawk-eye and Uncas set out to rescue Cora, and Munro and Chingachgook remain in safety. Uncas is taken prisoner by the Hurons, and left to starve when he withstands torture, and Heyward fails to find Alice. A Huron warrior asks Heyward to heal his lunatic wife, and both are stalked by Hawk-eye in the guise of a bear. They enter a cave where the madwoman is kept, and the warrior leaves. Soon after revelation of his identity to Heyward, Hawk-eye accompanies him, and they find Alice. They are discovered by Magua; but Hawk-eye overpowers him, and they leave him tied to a wall. Thereafter Heyward escapes with Alice, while Hawk-eye remains to save Uncas. Gamut convinces a Huron to allow him and his magical bear (Hawk-eye in disguise) to approach Uncas, and they untie him. Uncas dons the bear disguise, Hawk-eye wears Gamut's clothes, and Gamut stays in a corner mimicking Uncas. Uncas and Hawk-eye escape and the Hurons vow revenge.

text: Uncas and Hawk-eye travel to the Delaware village where Cora is held, and where Magua demands the return of his prisoners. Tamenund, the sage of the Delawares, frees the prisoners, except for Cora, whom he awards to Magua. To satisfy laws of hospitality, Tamenund gives Magua a three-hour head start before pursuit. The Delawares vanquish the Hurons, but Magua escapes with Cora and two other Hurons; Uncas, Hawk-eye, and Heyward pursue them. In a fight at the edge of a cliff, Cora, Uncas, and Magua are killed. The novel concludes with a lengthy account of the funerals of Uncas and Cora, and Hawk-eye reaffirms his friendship with Chingachgook. Tamenund prophesies: "The pale-faces are masters of the earth, and the time of the red-men has not yet come again....".

text: Characters[edit]

text:
Magua (ma-gwah) – the villain: a Huron chief driven from his tribe for drunkenness; known as Le Renard Subtil ("Sly Fox.").
Chingachgook (usually pronounced chin-GATCH-gook): last chief of the Mohican tribe, escort to the Munro sisters, father to Uncas. His name was a Unami Delaware word meaning "Big Snake."[6]
Uncas – the son of Chingachgook and the eponymous "Last of the Mohicans" (meaning the last pure-blooded Mohican).[7] He is also known as "Le Cerf Agile", the Bounding Elk.
Nathaniel Bumppo/Hawk-eye: Oeil de Faucon; a frontiersman who becomes an escort to the Munro sisters. Known to the Indians and the French as La longue carabine for his marksmanship and signature weapon.
Cora Munro: a dark-haired daughter of Colonel Munro; serious, intelligent, and calm in the face of danger. Her mother, whom Munro met and married in the West Indies, was a mulatto or mixed-race woman,[8] described as "descended, remotely" from slaves.[9] Scholars have sometimes termed Cora a quadroon, but Cooper may have imagined her with even less African ancestry. Diane Roberts described Cora as "the first tragic mulatta in American literature."[10] Cora's mother died when she was young.
Alice Munro: Cora's blonde half-sister; cheerful, playful, frail, and charming. She is the daughter of Alice Graham, Munro's second wife.
Colonel Munro: a British army colonel in command of Fort William Henry.
Duncan Heyward – a British army major from Virginia who falls in love with Alice Munro.[11][12]
David Gamut: a psalmodist (teacher of psalm singing), known as "the singing master."
General Daniel Webb – Colonel Munro's commanding officer, who takes command at Fort Edward.
General Marquis de Montcalm – the French commander-in-chief, called by the Huron and other Indian allies of the French as "The great white father of the Canadas."
Tamenund – An ancient, wise, and revered Delaware (Lenape) sage, who has outlived three generations of warriors.

tag: ul

text: Development[edit]

text: According to Susan Fenimore Cooper, the author's eldest daughter, Cooper first conceived the idea for the book while visiting the Adirondack Mountains in 1825 with a party of English gentlemen.[13] The party passed through the Catskills, an area with which Cooper was already familiar, and about which he had written in his first novel featuring Natty: The Pioneers. They passed on to Lake George and Glens Falls.

text: Impressed with the caves behind the falls, one member of the party suggested that "here was the very scene for a romance." Susan Cooper says that Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, made this remark. Cooper promised Stanley "that a book should actually be written, in which these caves should have a place; the, idea of a romance essentially Indian in character then first suggesting itself to his mind."[14]

text: Cooper began work on the novel immediately. He and his family stayed for the summer in a cottage belonging to a friend, situated on the Long Island shore of the Sound, opposite Blackwell's Island, not far from Hallett's Cove (the area is now part of Astoria). He wrote quickly and completed the novel in the space of three or four months. He suffered a serious illness thought to have been brought on by sunstroke[14] and, at one point, he dictated the outline of the fight between Magua and Chingachgook (12th chapter), to his wife, who thought that he was delirious.[13]

text: In the novel, Hawkeye refers to Lake George as the Horican. Cooper felt that Lake George was too plain, while the French name, Le Lac du St. Sacrement, was "too complicated". Horican he found on an old map of the area; it was a French transliteration of a native group who had once lived in the area.[15]

text: Cooper grew up in Cooperstown, New York, the frontier town founded by his father. His daughter said that as a young man he had few opportunities to meet and talk with Native Americans: "occasionally some small party of the Oneidas, or other representatives of the Five Nations, had crossed his path in the valley of the Susquehanna River, or on the shores of Lake Ontario, where he served when a midshipman in the navy."[13] He read what sources were available at the time—Heckewelder, Charlevoix, William Penn, Smith, Elliot, Colden, Lang, Lewis and Clark, and Mackenzie.

text: By using the name Uncas for one of his characters, he seemed to confuse the two regional tribes: the Mohegan of Connecticut, of which Uncas had been a well-known sachem, and the Mahican of upstate New York. The popularity of Cooper's book helped spread the confusion.[16][17]

text: In the period when Cooper was writing, deputations from the Western tribes frequently traveled through the region along the Mohawk River, on their way to New York or Washington, DC. He made a point of visiting these parties as they passed through Albany and New York. On several occasions, he followed them all the way to Washington to observe them for longer. He also talked to the military officers and interpreters who accompanied them.[13]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page. (January 2012)

text: The novel was first published in 1826 by Carey & Lea, of Philadelphia. According to Susan Cooper, its success was "greater than that of any previous book from the same pen" and "in Europe the book produced quite a startling effect."[13]

text: Cooper's novels were popular, but reviewers were often critical, or dismissive. For example, the reviewer of the London Magazine (May 1826) described the novel as "clearly by much the worst of Mr Cooper's performances."[18] Mark Twain notably derided the author in his essay "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses," published in North American Review (July 1895). Twain complained that Cooper lacked a variety of style and was overly wordy. In the essay, Twain re-writes a small section of The Last of the Mohicans, claiming that Cooper, "the generous spendthrift", used 100 "extra and unnecessary words" in the original version.[19]

text: Re-reading the book in his later years, Cooper noted some inconsistencies of plot and characterization, particularly the character of Munro. But, he wrote that in general, "the book must needs have some interest for the reader, since it could amuse even the writer, who had in a great measure forgotten the details of his own work."[13]

text: The book has been considered to be the first Great American Novel.[20]

text: Legacy[edit]

text: The Last of the Mohicans has been James Fenimore Cooper's most popular work. It has continued as one of the most widely read novels throughout the world, and it has influenced popular opinion about American Indians and the frontier period of eastern American history. The romanticized images of the strong, fearless, and ever resourceful frontiersman (i.e., Natty Bumppo), as well as the stoic, wise, and noble "red man" (i.e., Chingachgook) were notions derived from Cooper's characterizations more than from anywhere else.[21] The phrase, "the last of the Mohicans," has come to represent the sole survivor of a noble race or type.[22]

text: Adaptations[edit]

text: Films[edit]

text: A number of films have been based on the lengthy book, making various cuts, compressions, and changes. The American adaptations include:

text:
a 1912 version starring James Cruze,
The Last of the Mohicans (1920), starring Wallace Beery;
The Last of the Mohicans (1932), a serial version starring Harry Carey;
The Last of the Mohicans (1936) starring Randolph Scott and Bruce Cabot;
Last of the Redmen (1947) starring Jon Hall and Michael O'Shea;
The Iroquois Trail (1950) starring George Montgomery
Fall of the Mohicans (1965) starring Jack Taylor, José Marco (José Joandó Roselló),[23] Luis Induni and Daniel Martin;
The Last of the Mohicans (1968)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992), starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

text: The 1920 film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. According to the director Michael Mann, his 1992 version was based more on the 1936 film version. Mann believes Cooper's novel is "not a very good book," taking issue with Cooper's sympathy for the Euro-Americans and their seizure of the American Indians' domain.[24]

text: In Germany, Der Letzte der Mohikaner, with Béla Lugosi as Chingachgook, was the second part of the two-part Lederstrumpf film released in 1920. Der letzte Mohikaner directed by Harald Reinl was a 1965 West German/Italian/Spanish co-production setting elements of the story in the post American Civil War era. Based on the same series of the novels, Chingachgook die große Schlange (Chingachgook the Great Serpent), starring Gojko Mitic as Chingachgook, appeared in East Germany in 1967, and became popular throughout the Eastern Bloc.

text: Radio[edit]

text: The Last of the Mohicans was adapted for radio in two one-hour episodes directed by Michael Fox and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995 (subsequently on BBC Radio 7), with Michael Fiest, Philip Franks, Helen McCrory and Naomi Radcliffe.

text: TV[edit]

text:
From 2004-2007, the RAI made an animated TV series, Last of the Mohicans with Ted Russof as Uncas, Katie McGovern as Cora, and Flaminia Fegarotti as Alice.
There was a Canadian TV series, Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans in 1957 with John Hart as Hawkeye and Lon Chaney, Jr. as Chingachgook.
The BBC made a TV serial of the book in 1971, with Philip Madoc as Magua, Kenneth Ives as Hawkeye and John Abineri as Chingachgook, which some critics believe to be the most faithful and the best adaptation.
In a 1977 American made-for-TV movie, Steve Forrest starred as Hawkeye with Ned Romero as Chingachgook and Don Shanks as Uncas.

text: Opera[edit]

text: In 1977, Lake George Opera presented an opera version The Last of the Mohicans by composer Alva Henderson.[25]

text: Comics[edit]

text: Classic Comics #4, The Last of the Mohicans, first published 1942.

text: Marvel Comics has published two versions of the story: in 1976 a one-issue version as part of their Marvel Classics Comics series (issue #13). In 2007, they published a six-issue mini-series to start off the new Marvel Illustrated series.

text: Famed manga artist Shigeru Sugiura wrote and illustrated a very loose manga adaptation of the story in 1952-3 (remade in 1973-4). This adaptation is heavily influenced by American movies and western comics and is filled with absurd humor and anachronistic jokes. An English translation of Sugiura's 1973-4 version including a lengthy essay on Sugiura's artistic influences was published in the United States in 2013.[26]