A much-criticized bike lane that runs through the middle of a San Francisco street could be relocated less than a year after it was built.

It was a bold and different plan. Cyclists would ride in the middle of Valencia Street between the traffic lanes. The center bike lane was installed last August between 15th and 23rd streets in the Mission District.

The goal was to make cyclists feel safer and create an efficient traffic artery along the Mission. But the project has since come under criticism. People in the area say there are no clear directions for cyclists or motorists, leading to confusion and danger.

The SFMTA is currently seeking approval from the city's Department of Transportation for a side-by-side bike lane. Two concepts are under discussion:

• One proposal would force cyclists to ride around restaurant parklets, bringing them closer to traffic.
• The other design would have cyclists ride between the curb and the parklets.

Some local business owners KPIX spoke to are fed up with the whole thing.

“It's terrible. It's not an attractive part of town anymore. Nobody wants to be here,” said Sahar Milani, owner of Rossi Mission SF.

Kevin Ortiz, a member of VAMANOS, a newly formed coalition against the current design of the bike lanes, expressed the community's concerns.

“We have seen 20 companies close, the latest being Los Amigos. So the question is how many more companies will have to suffer,” he said. “The problem is that the SFMTA has not reached out to our organization. We want to meet with them, but they are basically only making contact a week before the actual hearing, which is next week,” he added.

“They don’t ask us or discuss with us, and then they ask people,” says Eiad Eltaweil, owner of the Yasmi restaurant.

In fact, some business owners have filed a lawsuit with the city because they're upset about the loss of parking and other changes in the neighborhood. KPIX spoke with a cyclist today who understands their concerns but still enjoys the ride.

“From a cyclist’s perspective, it’s safer for bikes,” said Craig Sakowitz, a cyclist.

Sakowitz said that while the center bike lane reduces the risk of being hit by a car door or colliding with pedestrians, it also makes it more difficult to turn onto other streets.

All of this information will feed into the next debate on moving the lane to the curb. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will hold a public hearing on the issue a week from now, on Tuesday, June 18.

More from CBS News

Anna Makovec

Anne Makovec is the Breaking News Anchor for the KPIX 5 Morning News. She reports breaking news from across the Bay Area and around the world every weekday from the Live News Desk and compiles reports from Bay Area neighborhoods for later KPIX broadcasts.

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The Standard’s Rachel Scheier looks into why there isn’t a bus-only lane on the Bay Bridge.

If you’ve ever inched across the Bay Bridge on an AC Transit bus at rush hour, you might have thought, “There must be a better way.” Why not reward public transit riders by speeding them across in their own dedicated lane?

If so, you aren’t the first. In fact, local politicians and transit advocacy groups have been kicking around the idea of a public transit lane on the Bay Bridge for decades. The last time they seriously considered the issue was in early 2020, when then-state Assemblymember Rob Bonta (now California’s attorney general) introduced a bill to do just that after an Oakland resident pitched the idea to him on Twitter. The legislation quickly drew backing from transit officials and advocacy groups but then fizzled almost as quickly a few months later amid the chaos of the pandemic.

But there are other more practical reasons why a bus lane on the bridge remains a commuter fantasy. In short, local transportation officials worry that creating a transit-only lane would cause more problems than it would solve.

“There are not enough Bay Bridge lanes, not enough buses and not enough bus riders for a bus lane on the bridge to make sense,” said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which funds and operates the region’s six state-owned bridges.

Goodwin explained that the bridge has just five lanes going in each direction, each of which can handle at most about 1,900 vehicles per hour. “I’m not sure there are 1,900 buses in the entire Bay Area transit fleet!” he said.

The bottom line is that thousands more drivers—around one-fifth of bridge vehicles—would need to switch to taking the bus in order to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

Moreover, the reason the Bay Bridge is such a slog isn’t the bridge itself so much as the complex tangle of freeways that feed onto it, with traffic coming from all directions. At the Bay Bridge, the “pipe” through which traffic flows narrows from 20 lanes at the toll plaza down to just five. Buses getting on Interstate 80 at the Powell Street on-ramp in Emeryville get stuck in a traffic bottleneck, while those on Interstate 580 also experience gridlock since the diamond lane for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles doesn’t start until just west of the MacArthur Maze.

If officials designated a bus-only lane under current conditions, experts say that it could actually make all this traffic getting to the bridge much worse, potentially causing it to spill onto the streets of Oakland and other surrounding cities.

Goodwin said the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is working to address these problems with its Bay Bridge Forward projects, which are focused on extending the bus/carpool lane on I-580 back to the Broadway overcrossing and repurposing the outside lane of I-80 between the Powell Street interchange and the toll plaza to serve as a high-occupancy vehicle or HOV lane. Once they’re on the bridge, Goodwin added, buses have a dedicated off-ramp to the Salesforce Transbay Transit Center. For eastbound trips, they also have a dedicated on-ramp from the Transit Center.

But none of this has stopped public transit advocates from pushing for a bus lane. Back in the early 1960s, they actually succeeded. In 1962, with congestion worsening on the bridge even with the Bay Area’s population at around half of what it is today, officials repurposed one of the lower-deck lanes as a dedicated bus lane for Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District buses going against the normal flow of traffic. It lasted only a year.

Today, crossing the Bay Bridge—especially during the morning commute from the East Bay into San Francisco—is more of a slog than ever. Hopes that an easier commute might be a silver lining of the corporate apocalypse that’s hit Downtown San Francisco have mostly been in vain.

Even though overall traffic on the Bay Bridge is down some 10% from before the pandemic, morning travel speeds between Treasure Island and the Fremont Street exit are more than 30% slower than they were four years ago, according to congestion tracking data.

AC Transit continues to support the idea of a bus-only lane.

“Traffic continues to plague our roadways, despite remote-hybrid work or perhaps because of these new work schedules, particularly into San Francisco,” Robert Lyles, a spokesman for AC Transit, said in a statement. “Transit-only lanes … have improved travel times, ease congestion, and provide a lifeline for those who rely on our bus service.”

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A woman in San Francisco filmed herself totally “losing her mind” because an ambulance is parked in the bike lane.

She’s already at “peak frustration” when she confronts the driver and guilts them into pulling away. It must be something she experiences a lot because she keeps saying, “They’re killing us, they’re killing us.”

Thunderstorms can be both fascinating and scary, with their electrifying displays of lightning and booming thunder. However, not everyone knows that there are certain things you’re not supposed to do when there’s a thunderstorm.

During the summer months, thunderstorms occur frequently due to the high humidity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 73 percent of lightning-related fatalities occur in June, July, and August. According to the National Weather Service, an excess of moisture in the atmosphere, atmospheric instability, and a triggering mechanism are the conditions that lead to thunderstorms. When these elements are combined, they can unleash a powerful symphony of heavy rainfall, thunder, lightning, strong winds, and even hail.

Being prepared for thunderstorms

The American Red Cross has some advice on how to get ready for those wild summer thunderstorms. Taking preventive measures like subscribing to local government emergency alerts, equipping your home with backup batteries, and devising a family plan for hazardous weather situations can all prove invaluable during emergencies.

Thunderstorm myths and misconceptions

When it comes to thunderstorms, there are plenty of myths and misconceptions about what you should avoid doing. One of the most common misconceptions is that wearing rubber-soled shoes or being inside a car with rubber tires makes us immune to lightning strikes. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Lightning can still travel through the ground or the metal frame of a car, even if it has rubber tires.

Many people believe that as long as they’re not directly under the storm cloud, they are safe from lightning strikes. However, lightning bolts can extend horizontally for significant distances, reaching as far as 10 miles away from the storm. And also keep in mind that trees, especially tall ones, are prime targets for lightning strikes due to their height and conductivity.

Along with getting prepared and knowing thunderstorm myths, you have to know what not to do during a thunderstorm.

Here are 5 things you should never do during a thunderstorm.

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SAN FRANCISCO — A two-way bike lane down the center of busy Valencia Street in San Francisco’s Mission District was supposed to make it safer for cyclists, but the unorthodox design has caused confusion and is even being blamed for some crashes.

Bruce Halperin lives near the corner of Valencia and 23rd Street in San Francisco. He doesn’t own a car. His main form of transportation for both him and his dog is his bicycle.

“I do all my shopping, I patronize restaurants and what not on Valencia Street. It’s my main route to work on days when I work downtown. So yeah, I use Valencia for basically everything,” said Halperin.

Halperin says Valencia Street has long been an issue for cyclists. The often busy thoroughfare’s narrow lanes and limited parking all combine to create safety concerns.

ALSO READ: Bike lanes coming to middle of busy Valencia Street in San Francisco

Earlier this year, San Francisco officials announced the launch of a pilot program to test out a new center-running bike lane on Valencia between 15th and 23rd Street.

It’s a design they said they believed would make the street safer for all. 

“We’ve restricted the ability of drivers to make left turns. So banning left turns and separating the traffic with the center running bike lane reduces the risk to pedestrians. Somebody was killed at this intersection walking across the street with a green light just a few months ago. Secondly, we’ve physically separated the cyclists from the moving traffic,” said SFMTA Streets Director Tom Maguire.

Halperin says he was nervous about how well the new design would actually work, but he initially tried to keep an open mind.

“Once it was approved, I was willing to give it a chance and the rollout has been an absolute disaster I think,” said Halperin.

He says in just the few weeks the bike lanes have been fully open, he has already witnessed multiple crashes.

“In one, the woman was injured. She has a gash in her head and had to be taken away by ambulance. And I think that’s going to keep happening,” said Halperin.

He said the center lanes make it difficult for cyclists to get on and off the road. He also has already seen multiple cars driving over the protective barriers and down the bike lanes.

But the worst part he says are the turn lane boxes that force cyclists to stand within inches of passing cars.

“And the car traffic is just whizzing right by you and there’s no physical protection whatsoever. It’s really scary,” said Halperin.

Still, SFMTA officials are standing by the design. They argue that, in the long run, this design will be a safer option.

“We think that this a big step forward for safety on Valencia. It does not solve every single problem and it’s not perfect, but it’s a big step forward,” said Maguire.

Halperin still doesn’t agree. His hope is that the city removes the center lanes as soon as possible and goes back to a more traditional side-lane design.

Until that day, he says he has no choice but to use the lanes since they’re right outside his front door.

“I’m young. I’m relatively confident as a cyclist, but it’s still scary,” said Halperin.

The pilot program is expected to last a year. SFMTA says the first report on how the lanes are working will come out in the fall.

More from CBS News

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Note: GJEL Accident Attorneys regularly sponsors coverage on Streetsblog San Francisco and Streetsblog California. Unless otherwise noted in the story, GJEL Accident Attorneys is not consulted for the content or editorial alignment of the Sponsored Content.

Long-delayed construction of an elevated, sheltered bike path on a section of Fruitvale Avenue connecting BART to the Jingletown neighborhood is finally underway. From a city publication:

Fruitvale Avenue between E12th Street and Alameda Ave is a critical gap in the city of Oakland’s bike lane network. This stretch of road connects commuters and residents of Jingletown and the City of Alameda with the services, amenities and quality public transportation available around the Fruitvale BART station. This corridor is home to numerous railroad crossings, the I-880 underpass, and wide lanes that encourage high vehicle speeds. From 2014 to 2016, this corridor was the focus of a community planning and design initiative that saw the city hold several public meetings in the Fruitvale neighborhood.

Oakland’s first protected sidewalk-level bike path, entrance. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

While it’s great that it’s happening, the Fruitvale Alive project is really lagging behind. Even the city’s information page shows that construction should begin in the summer of 2022. In fact, studies and reports on this project began back in 2005, as evidenced by this tweet from Bike East Bay’s Robert Prinz.

Yes, community engagement with the project began in 2014 and funding came in 2016. The original Fruitvale Alive report was completed in 2005.

— Robert Prinz (@prinzrob) June 1, 2023

Streetsblog has reached out to the Oakland DOT to find out when the project will be complete and will update this post. Right now, “I heard ‘2024,’” Prinz wrote in an email to Streetsblog. “But nothing more concrete and no recent accounts.”

Big plus points of the project: the protected lane, of course. And the new connection to the Bay Trail, as shown in green on the map below. Currently, the Bay Trail is inaccessible from Fruitvale Avenue and the estuary without significant tracing. Even if someone wanted to overland it, thanks to the disused Union Pacific tracks, there are large fences blocking access.

Note the Bay Trail connection below in green.

“East Bay Parks is working on a separate Bay Trail connection project that will be built at the end of the Fruitvale project,” added Prince. “A protected Jughandle cycle path will be added between these two projects, which basically serves the same purpose as a protected crossing.”

A protected crossing is also planned at the intersection with East 12th. Unfortunately, none of the other intersections will be protected—and even on East 12th, according to the blueprints, only two of the four corners will have a protective island.

The only protected intersection is on East 12th. And only one side of it is protected.

Two of Fruitvale’s dangerous slip curves are removed, but others remain, apparently due to objections from AC Transit. Additionally, no provision has yet been made to protect the bridge over Fruitvale Avenue – cyclists will either be forced to dismount and use the sidewalk, as they must now, or have to contend with car traffic and no bike lane at all.

This sad situation will not be resolved. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

“Alameda is also working on its own project to continue the bike path over the Fruitvale Bridge and down the Tilden Way to Clement and Broadway,” Prince wrote. More on that in a future post.

Also, as is all too often the case, traffic control seems to have paid little attention to the needs of cyclists and pedestrians during construction, as Streetsblog found when photographing and surveying the area. Construction barriers that could have been used to protect cyclists and construction workers are instead used only to protect construction workers.

Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

And not only could the crew not bother to create a pedestrian detour, they didn’t even put up the sign they were told about the closed sidewalk:

Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

Of course, routes for cars are preserved because in the Bay Area, only drivers count (grrrrr).

No provision was made for pedestrians during construction.

Aside from the urgent work that was needed on Fruitvale Avenue, it’s great that this long overdue project is finally getting underway. In a year or two things should be a lot better for hikers and bikers between Fruitvale BART and Jingletown.

The post Development of Fruitvale Ave’s Protected Bike Lane – Streetsblog San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The freeways of San Mateo County Highway 101 from Whipple Avenue in Redwood City to Interstate 380 in South San Francisco will open to all FasTrak users on Friday.

The lane was softly opened in October when no charges were collected during the testing period, but lanes are open for testing to 3+ HOV users and commuter buses.

Friday is the first loading day for anyone with a FasTrak transponder. There will be dynamic pricing along the entire 22-mile corridor in both directions, using the same rules as the southern section of the 101 Express lanes. Dynamic pricing means that the price to use the lane increases or decreases depending on congestion. A system monitors tolls and increases or decreases them to keep traffic flowing. According to SamTrans spokesman Mahmoud Abunie, the highest prices depend on how far people travel and how busy the traffic is. He also pointed out that an average toll isn’t always an accurate way to predict prices, but the average southbound toll was $3 in November.

A FasTrak or FasTrak Flex is required to use the express lanes, with drivers only requiring a toll tag in the vehicle. Carpools of more than 3 people, van pools, buses, and motorcycles can use the lane for free with a FasTrak Flex or FasTrak CAV toll tag. Two-person carpools and drivers of clean air vehicles can receive a 50% toll reduction. Single drivers pay the full toll.

The San Mateo County express lanes operate Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Outside these times, the lanes are accessible to all drivers free of charge. Anyone entering the fast lane during operating hours without FasTrak will receive a Violation Alert at the address of the registered vehicle.

The project created 22 miles of freeways in San Mateo County off Highway 101 to connect to freeways in Santa Clara County. Caltrans added one lane in both directions on Highway 101 from Whipple Avenue to Interstate 380 in South San Francisco, the northern section, with the left-most lanes converted to express lanes. Construction of the northern section began in February 2020. A southern section runs from the San Mateo County and Santa Clara County lines to Whipple Avenue in Redwood City and is complete. For the past few months, Caltrans teams have been testing toll devices and signals in the northern section of the borough in preparation for the opening.

The freeways are managed by the San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Powers Authority. The six-member Joint Powers Authority consists of three board members from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and three board members from the San Mateo County City/County Association of Governments.

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Imaging if a city closed a sidewalk during construction and told pedestrians to just walk in traffic for a month.

That’s tantamount to what San Francisco has done to cyclists on Howard Street between 5th and 6th–within sight of where Tess Rothstein was doored and killed while biking to work in 2019.

Well that was short lived. No more protected bike lane on Howard @sfbike pic.twitter.com/PctTPyCYTT

— Ms. Doreen (@MsDoreenReads) February 7, 2022

The move left cyclists understandably riled. Rothstein was killed precisely because the city left long stretches of unprotected bike lane in place for many years; she died in sight of where the protected bike lane used to begin, on the other side of 6th Street.

“They painted this unprotected lane on a street where three people were killed in three years!!” wrote People Protected Bike Lane advocate Matt Brezina, in an email to Streetsblog and public officials.

Fortunately, this is a temporary measure. “The protected bike lane that was there will be restored. The current configuration is made of temporary tape and related to the construction of the development there,” explained an official with SFMTA.

Where the bike lane bends around the construction site. The passing box truck is the same type of vehicle that took Rothstein’s life. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

That’s not going to help though, if someone is injured or killed in the meantime.

Unprotected human bodies, on bicycle or foot, should never be put in close proximity with fast moving, two-to-five ton cars and even heavier trucks that can snuff out a life in a millisecond. Motorists are encased in passenger compartments with crumple zones and seat belts and air bags for a reason. Why on earth would anyone think it’s okay to leave cyclists or pedestrians in traffic without protection, especially in construction zones, where things are already especially dangerous?

It’s not hard to make temporary protective barriers. In fact, SFMTA went through the trouble of putting in lightweight pedestrian barrier along part of the route (as seen above). How much harder would it have been to put down real barriers? Cities in Denmark, the Netherlands, and elsewhere find ways to keep cyclists safe, even in construction zones.

A construction zone bike and pedestrian lane in Copenhagen. Photo: Jason Henderson.

In fact, it’s occasionally done even in a far away city called Oakland:

A construction area on Broadway in Oakland. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

Is the above configuration in Oakland above really that hard to emulate, SFMTA? Is it really that hard to see why the arrangement used on Howard, seen below, is just not safe?

The Howard Street temporary lane as seen from the pedestrian area. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

That said, Streetsblog would be unfair not to point out some of the positives getting installed in the area. At the corner of 5th, SFMTA installed a great protected turn. So at least when the construction is done, things should be better than ever.

A protected corner is under construction at Howard and 5th. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

Let’s just hope nobody gets hurt during the remainder of construction.

The post Howard Protected Bike Lane Eliminated – Streetsblog San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

EPCOT at Walt Disney World is about to get an extra spoonful of sugar.

On Sunday, Disney announced at the annual D23 Fan Expo that EPCOT, a centerpiece of Florida’s Walt Disney World, is undergoing a major overhaul in the next few years – as part of which a new attraction inspired by Mary Poppins is ready To become part of the Disney theme park universe.

Everett collection

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek announced the announcement and outlined the planned plan for EPCOT, including an overhaul that will divide the park into four new neighborhoods – World Showcase, World Celebration, World Nature and World Discovery. World Showcase will keep much of EPCOT’s DNA and will continue to focus on celebrating culture, cuisine, architecture and other countries around the world.

Disney

However, it will also welcome new attractions, including the chance to walk down Cherry Tree Lane, a new installation in the UK Pavilion. Guests visiting the pavilion can stroll down the famous street that first featured on screen in Mary Poppins’ 1964, complete with cherry trees in bloom and the flickering gas lamps that played an integral part in Mary Poppins Returns. Cherry Tree Lane will serve as the entrance to a new Mary Poppins-inspired attraction as guests stroll down the street, past Admiral Boom’s house and through the doors of the Banks family home, number 17, for a new adventure to start.

Disney

Disney brought some Mary Poppins magic to the announcement with a surprise appearance by Dick Van Dyke, who played as Chimney Sweep Bert in the original film (and made a cameo as Mr. Dawes, the bank’s owner in Mary Poppins Returns.)). Accompanied by an electric “step in time” performance from a very talented gig, Van Dyke took the stage to surprise the guests before Chapek made the Poppins announcement.

Van Dyke received the longest cheers and standing ovations of anyone on stage at the D23 Expo this year before making a few brief remarks about the legacies of Mary Poppins and Walt Disney. He called Disney “a creative genius who sees the world through a child’s eyes” and “came to the set every day … to bring out the child in you.”

The story goes on

Then Chapek made the announcement that one day he would be able to take the funny holiday guests with him.

Related content:

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Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical by Cameron Mackintosh and Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) is an adorable stage version of the popular Disney film. Directed by Chapman Shields, the Freeland Center for the Performing Arts in Bristow, OK is presenting this musical as part of their Onstage at the Freeland series.

The large cast of mostly (15+) Bristow community members shows and proves that “anything can happen if you allow it”. Smart Moves are made by Shields and Company to cast professional actors in the two leading roles. Brooke Melton as Mary and Gavin Thomas Drew as Bert take the show from a fun community event to a professional theater production. Melton is fresh and neat, practically perfect as a magical nanny. She delivers her lines of dialogue with a mischievous shoulder shimmy, a cute gesture that gives this iconic character personality. Drew as Bert is the charming Cockney, with the strongest accent of any cast. He is the fourth wall breaker and narrator, and he dances and sings with infinite energy.

Lauren Reece as Mrs. Banks and Ethan Kel Hunter as Mr. Banks are dynamic and believable. Reece has a remarkable voice and a compelling stage presence. Hunter is strict and moving and serves as a turning point for the family. Reece remains the lovable wife, even if her husband is less lenient. Hunter also learns to rediscover the lost childhood.

Kara Stagier’s choreography is robust and makes good use of the stage, filling it with one iconic number after another. The tap dance is missing in “Step in Time”, probably the most breathtaking number in the Broadway version. Another disappointment comes in the second act, the supposed moment of magical discovery, when Mary Poppins opens her umbrella and flies away. But Mary doesn’t fly in this production. That scene is why people come to this show and it’s disappointing that this production doesn’t try. Budget and time constraints could be a factor, but it is worth doing whatever you can to get yourself into this scene and get it right.

Mary Poppins is nostalgic with his musical numbers and the ensemble pulls everyone off with a smile, creates unforgettable moments and ignites new ones. Melodies like “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” come to life on stage, and this line-up is vibrant and fresh. Carmen Bruner is a showstopper in “Feed The Birds” and Drew shines in “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”. Melissa Hall’s Music Direction is polished. All of the musical numbers, both familiar and new, are immensely entertaining and practically flawless.

Dakota Norman stands out as Von Hussler and Miss Andrew. The Banks children are portrayed calmly as Annie Grizzle as Jane and Wake Tidwell as Michael. Autumn Manus is crazy and animated as Mrs. Brill and steals every scene. Stacey Shields is strong and alive as the Talking Shop owner Mrs. Corry.

Rounding out the hard-working cast is Mackinsey Darrough as Katie Nanna & Nelus, Gary Daughtry as Parker Keeper, Jaxie Sargent as Miss Lark, Keith Symcox as Admiral Boom, Hunter Remington as Robertson Aye and Aaliyah Givings as Queen Victoria. John Tidwell is the chairman of the bank, Jessica Colbert is Miss Smythe, Patrick Lupp is North Brooke, Carly Junod is Fannie, Kendal Hurley is Annie, and Gabrielle Wilson is a chimney sweep.

Mary Poppins is a triumphant achievement in musical theater, and it is not without hard work and dedication that this theater company make it through. It’s two solid hours of great pieces of music that are well known to everyone in the audience. There are big footsteps out there, and this cast fills them in the most adorable way. This production is really an example of what can be achieved when a community comes together with a common goal. What a beautiful community that must be! Bristow, Oklahoma puts on the map.

Disney musicals keep touching our hearts, teaching us about love for one another and reminding us that life is more exciting and precious when we look for the little things. Childhood is magical, and after a few minutes with Mary Poppins and the Banks family, we all feel like kids again.

Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical closed on June 26, 2021. Further information on the upcoming productions of the Freeland Center can be found on Facebook in the Freeland Center.

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This Christmas season, the Drury Lane Theater is hosting DISNEY AND Cameron Mackintosh’s MARY POPPINS, the 2004 musical based on the stories of PL Travers and the 1964 Walt Disney film. Marcia Milgrom Dodge directs and choreographs this uplifting story about a magical nanny who shows up just in time to help the families who need her most – in this case, the Banks family. In a strong ensemble, Emilie Lynn shines with a Broadway-worthy performance in the title role.

From the moment she flies onto the stage, Lynn nails the dignified, detached sense of authority required of the famous nanny with her chin held high, perfect posture and graceful movements. While she won over the Banks kids with her talent for turning tasks into games and turning a walk in the park into a scene from a fairy tale, she also charms viewers of all ages with her shrewd sense of humor, gentle wisdom, and breathtaking singing. Lynn’s bell-like soprano floats with apparent ease through the beloved original songs by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman as well as the catchy additions by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. While comparisons to the author of a role in this case are rarely helpful or fair to the current performer, I mean it as the highest praise to say that Lynn’s performance is as masterful as Julie Andrews’ in the film.

With Mary Poppins as a nanny, the miracle is always around the corner for her young protégés Jane and Michael Banks (played by Nicole Scimeca and Hunter DiMailig in the show I attended). Jim Steinmeyer’s illusions bring Mary’s mysterious powers to life on stage. But outings with Mary are not just entertainment; Every adventure teaches a subtle but valuable lesson. Dancing on the rooftops shows that problems from above don’t look so bad. Feeding the birds shows the importance of looking beyond what the eye can see. And as the company finale proclaims, “Anything can happen if you let it.” This family-friendly musical may be a little darker than the movie, but it is full of hope and goodwill.

Of course, the Mary Poppins story is more about parenting reform than about children. In the musical, George and Winifred Banks (Matt Crowle and Alexis J. Roston) get more detailed backstories than in the film. George’s tightly wounded nature and inhibited emotional life are chalked up by the influence of his childhood nanny, Miss Andrew or “The Holy Terror” (whom we briefly meet in a group of Holly Stauder who is the stuff of childish nightmares). Crowle is honored as George, a man whose career is on the verge of disaster and whose family is falling apart. His transformation as he remembers his teenage dreams, mending relationships with loved ones and, as he says, “rediscovering humanity” is truly heartwarming and deeply understandable for the adults in the audience. As Winifred, Roston has less extensive material to work with, but she uses the former actress’ struggle to live up to her husband’s and London society’s expectations.

James T. Lane shows an outstanding performance as Bert, an all-rounder from painter to chimney sweep. With a constant wink and a Cockney accent far more convincing than the often-mocked attempt by Dick Van Dyke, Lane serves as the casual narrator and encourages the mysterious atmosphere that surrounds Mary’s sudden comings and goings. While he is a standout singer and actor, Lane’s most memorable talent is his dance, which comes to the fore in the rousing tap number “Step in Time”. In another notable twist, Catherine Smitko delivers a poignant duet as Bird Woman with Lynn in the melancholy ballad “Feed the Birds”. While a couple of supporting characters are not to my liking – for example, I found the slapstick physicality of Sawyer Smith’s Robertson Ay over the top – this production has many top-notch performances overall.

Both the musical and Disney film are based on PL Travers’ children’s stories, and Kevin Depinet’s scenic design and Kevan Loney’s projections emphasize those literary origins. Two oversized books frame the proscenium sheet and distribute their pages on the stage. They provide a canvas for projections that incorporate text from Travers’ books and whimsical illustrations. Watercolor-like projections suggest places like St. Paul’s Cathedral, the park, and the waterfront, but the images are fragmented and unrealistic to create a dreamlike quality. Most of the time, the stage is free of large set pieces, with the exception of a large staircase. Aside from the beautiful projections, the stage often feels too empty to evoke the magical elements of the story.

Robes L. McGee’s colorful costumes fill this gap and connect the dots between the everyday life of the Banks children and their enchanted antics with Mary. “Jolly Holiday” shows Edwardian fashion from the perspective of a rainbow filter, and in “Playing the Game” the old-fashioned children’s toys are creepily brought to life. On the other hand, the fantastic vision for “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” with a mixture of continental European folk styles seems to come back from the left field in a rainbow palette. While there is a lack of cohesion between costumes, sets and projections, there are many interesting visual moments throughout the show.

MARY POPPINS is a crowd puller to feel good, but there are also content-related messages for all age groups on which the imaginative children’s story is based. What better time than holidays to remind us of the importance of family and hope for a fresh start? When Mary Poppins finally flies away, loved, but no longer needed by the Bankses, we are left with the image of a loving family that is again in harmony with itself and with one another. If that’s not a practically perfect ending, I’m not sure what it is.

DISNEY AND Cameron Mackintosh’s MARY POPPINS will run through January 19 at Drury Lane Theater, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181. Single tickets ($ 60-75) are available at 630.530.0111 or DruryLaneTheatre.com.

Photo credit: Brett Beiner

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