Mary Poppins audience already hits 50,000

More than 50,000 people have seen Mary Poppins at Birmingham Hippodrome since it opened in July - and 36 per cent of that total were first time visitors to the theatre.

The award winning musical by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh has received rave reviews and is pulling in the crowds from outside the city, with 56 per cent of people who have booked living outside Birmingham.

Some have come from the far corners of the UK to see the show which is just five weeks into a 12-week run. Stuart Griffiths, chief executive at the Hippodrome, said: “We are delighted that so many people have made the decision to see this award winning production - with many coming from as far afield as Exeter to Glasgow.”

The stage show has been adapted from the much-loved stories of author PL Travers and the classic Walt Disney film.

It features songs from the film including Chim Chim Cher-ee, Feed the Birds, A Spoonful of Sugar and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Neil Rami, chief executive of Marketing Birmingham, was equally pleased with the amount of visitors the show was bringing into the city. “The number of visitors we are welcoming to our city is increasing year on year, the message that Birmingham is a great place to visit is certainly spreading,” he said. ”

Theatre and the arts are an important factor in why people choose to visit the city and it’s excellent news that Birmingham Hippodrome continues to provide us with this kind of high-calibre family entertainment.”

For those who have not seen the show there is still plenty of time left to book.

Performances run until Saturday, September 27.

Tickets can be booked on-line via the theatre website at www.birminghamhippodrome.com or by calling 0844 338 5000.