Cast of Longport Crosswalk Musical Theater's production of 'Mary Poppins.'
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
LONGPORT It was an unexpected surprise for beachgoers and motorists Saturday as the Longport Crosswalk Musical Theater presented its third production, Mary Poppins.
The brainchild of resident Doug Farrell, the James Cordenesque crosswalk musical first came to Longport in 2020 with the troupe's production of Sound of Music. The pandemic caused the theater group to go dark in 2021, but it came back last year with the hit musical Beauty and the Beast.
The actors, many of them Farrell's family members and neighbors, came dressed in period costumes and dirty faces to perform musical numbers long enough to last one cycle on Longport's only traffic signal at 33rd Avenue in front of Beach Patrol Headquarters.
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Traffic slowed and some drivers wanted to stay to watch, but beeping horns kept them moving along, as traffic should on a busy holiday weekend.
The crosswalk musicals are always held at 11 a.m. on the Saturday of 4th of July weekend. There is no pre-event publicity, no special permits, and thankfully no police to hamper the fun. Only those who happen to be in the area get to enjoy the musical, which lasts on and off about 20 minutes.
The cast included Maureen Farrell, Chris Paul, Marybeth Appel, Joanne Gahr, Mary Tracy, Barb Wilson, Maggie Farrell, Dougie Mead, with Jack Farrell, Patty McDevitt and Clare Tracy as the chimney sweeps. As is tradition, Doug Farrell took the lead role of Mary Poppins. Tom Gahr had one of the most important roles in the production traffic light timing. Norm Wilson offered security, Bridgie Mead did the choreography, and Yann Lefievre was musical director. Andy Farrell offered crowd control and Michael Farrell took video of the spectacle.
Songs included Sister Suffragette, A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilistic, Step in Time, and Let's go Fly a Kite.
Kate Tuohy of Longport said it was the first time she caught the event, but her family saw it in past years.
This is a great show. It's amazing what Doug and his family do for the community, she said. The costumes were great and this brings a lot of happiness to the town.
Her husband Bryan Touhy said he was happy to see them perform a classic musical that everyone knows the words to.
This was fun. We're going to go home now and watch Mary Poppins with the kids, he said.
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