“Mary Poppins” featured at WBT

BY GEORGE J. DACRE

Richard Stafford takes the helm as director and choreographer of “Mary Poppins,” which opens May 8 at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.

He says that the popular musical about a nanny who teaches a 1910 family how to value each other again, is very adaptable to the WBT stage and he is looking forward to a wonderful time with WBT’s “Supercalifragilistic” hit. Stafford has become a mainstay at the popular dinner theatre in Elmsford, Westchester County and will also be director choreographer of the “Wizard of Oz,” coming to WBT July 31 to September 21. “Poppins” will run May 8 through July 27.

Stafford, born and raised in Tennessee, came to New York as an actor in 1979 and progressed into directing and choreographing, areas that he had always felt he should be doing. He is a veteran of many Broadway shows and Westchester Broadway Theatre shows and he tells the Rockland County Times while it takes a lot to be both a director and a choreographer for the same show, they mesh together and it works well for him and the productions he gets involved in.

Stafford says there will be a few surprises in “Poppins,” and notes that working with Lauren Blackman (Poppins) and the entire cast is a joy. Stafford says that “Poppins” is a family oriented show and he expects it will be well received at WBT.