Kara Oates News

MARY POPPINS continues to fly high, celebrating five magical years on Broadway on Wednesday, November 16 (previews began October 14, 2006 at the New Amsterdam Theatre). MARY POPPINS is the third Disney Theatrical Productions show (following Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) and the fifth Cameron Mackintosh show (joining Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon) to play five or more years on Broadway.

MARY POPPINS continues to fly high, celebrating five magical years on Broadway on Wednesday, November 16 (previews began October 14, 2006 at the New Amsterdam Theatre). MARY POPPINS is the third Disney Theatrical Productions show (following Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) and the fifth Cameron Mackintosh show (joining Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon) to play five or more years on Broadway.

Direct from the North American tour of MARY POPPINS, Steffanie Leigh will make her Broadway debut in the title role, beginning performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre Tuesday, October 11. Olivier Award winner Laura Michelle Kelly, The West End's original MARY POPPINS, will play her final performance on Broadway Sunday, October 9.

Broadway's most magical musical MARY POPPINS celebrated its 2000th performance at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Sunday, September 4. A co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, MARY POPPINS is the third Disney Theatrical Productions show (following Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) and the fifth Cameron Mackintosh show (joining Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon) to play 2000 or more Broadway performances. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a look backstage during the celebration!

Broadway's most magical musical MARY POPPINS celebrates its 2000th performance at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Sunday, September 4. A co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, MARY POPPINS is the third Disney Theatrical Productions show (following Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) and the fifth Cameron Mackintosh show (joining Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon) to play 2000 or more Broadway performances.

'The 2011 edition of the annual Carols for a Cure album is now in the works. Produced by Rock-it Science Records and currently in it's thirteenth year, purchase of the album benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This highly anticipated annual holiday release features casts from the current Broadway line-up of shows performing new and traditional holiday music. Broadway's Carols for a Cure offers a 'snapshot' of each season, as the casts and orchestras from each show on Broadway perform their own holiday track. Since 1999, Broadway's Carols for a Cure has featured the creative talents of thousands of Broadway's brightest stars and has raised over $3 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Broadway's most magical musical MARY POPPINS celebrates its 2000th performance at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Sunday, September 4. A co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, MARY POPPINS is the third Disney Theatrical Productions show (following Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) and the fifth Cameron Mackintosh show (joining Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon) to play 2000 or more Broadway performances.

Direct from the North American tour of MARY POPPINS, Steffanie Leigh will make her Broadway debut in the title role, beginning performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre Tuesday, October 11. Olivier Award winner Laura Michelle Kelly, The West End's original MARY POPPINS, will play her final performance on Broadway Sunday, October 9.

Olivier Award winner Laura Michelle Kelly, The West End's original MARY POPPINS, returns to the Broadway company on Tuesday, July 19 (8pm) at the New Amsterdam Theatre. She re-joins Tony Award nominee Gavin Lee, who originated the role of Bert in the West End and on Broadway.

She's done it again. And this time, it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Since taking the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre stage as Marta Von Trapp in the 2008 production of The Sound of Music, Kara Oates hasn't been out of the spotlight.

MARY POPPINS, Broadway's perfectly magical musical, is pleased to welcome all new Banks children to the Broadway cast: Brigid Harrington and Kara Oates will alternate the role of Jane Banks with Rozi Baker and Lewis Grosso will alternate the role of Michael Banks with David Gabriel Lerner and Anthony Scarpone-Lambert. (Harrington and Grosso mark their official Broadway debut tonight, Tuesday, May 10; Oates will begin performances on Tuesday, May 24.)

On their break between shows, the stars of Billy Elliot and the kids of Broadway cut a rug at Dave & Buster's for games, fun and ice cream sundaes this week on August 25. Performers from Addams Family, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, South Pacific, West Side Story and the Gazillion Bubble Show joined the Billy crew for the fun. BroadwayWorld was there and brings you photo coverage below.

Kara Oates' dream is coming true. The 10-year-old fifth grade student at Center Grove Elementary, who performed the title role in Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre's production of Annie this summer, will soon be performing on Broadway.

America's favorite orphan finds a home in Indianapolis as Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents Annie as its 2009 family show. A winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Annie is live on stage May 21 through July 3.

America's favorite orphan finds a home in Indianapolis as Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents Annie as its 2009 family show. A winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Annie is live on stage May 21 through July 3.

America's favorite orphan finds a home in Indianapolis as Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents Annie as its 2009 family show. A winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Annie is live on stage May 21 through July 3.

America's favorite orphan finds a home in Indianapolis as Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents Annie as its 2009 family show. A winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Annie is live on stage May 21 through July 3.

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre has announced the top three finalists for the title role in its upcoming production of Annie. More than 200 girls auditioned when Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre hosted young performers' auditions March 7 to cast the orphans for the upcoming production of Annie. Of those, Anna Lasbury, Gabrielle McAcree and Kara Oates emerged as the top three to play the spunky orphan, Annie.