When given an option for a post-show talk back, Don and I often aim for that performance. It adds value to our experience. Similar to why we would hang out at the stage door before COVID.
Our subscription for Langhorne Players is for the Wednesday night show, even though mid-week is a challenge, because the Wednesday night performances have a post-show talk back. When we decided to see "not the Disney version" of Mary Poppins at the Quintessence Theater in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, we aimed for the performance with the post-show conversation.
Other than this being the Broadway or West End version, and not the Disney version, I wasn't sure what we would talk about. Rather than talking about the nuances of the show, we were treated to a post-show conversation led by the theater's director of education and local Disney expert Dr. Christen Mandracchia. Dr. M earned her PhD studying the "Disney Renaissance." It has been a while since I've been around someone who geeks out talking about Disney. We had a mini-lecture talking about the different stages of Disney movies -- the Golden Era, the Silver Era, and the Renaissance. We also touched upon how Mary Poppins changed from P.L. Travers' book to Walt Disney's vision in the 1964 movie to the West End (though the West End was not mentioned, I recall it appeared in London before appearing in New York City) and Broadway version. I would have enjoyed dissecting more about the differences, but as is we were gathered mesmerized for 45 minutes.
The Quintessence Theater is small. It was a fancy Art Deco movie house that has clearly seen better days. The theater was gutted. Now they have bleachers that can be moved around to suit the production and no stage. Rather than feeling run down, it felt charming. We hope to return. I did not see any information about season tickets, but now that we know about them, we will hear more in the future.
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