Save the Regent

Mary Poppins, the mega-musical based on the popular Disney film, is "coming home" to Australia, where the author of the original Poppins books, P.L. Travers, was born. Except the musical, predicted to be the biggest ever, is opening in Victoria, not Queensland - even though Travers came from Maryborough, north of Brisbane. Why? Because the Victorian government threw in a "modest amount" of cash, and Melbourne has the theatre space to accommodate its expected lenghty run, and Queensland doesn't because our government thinks the Lyric Theatre is all we need. Many Queenslanders will, of course, fly south to see the show, giving Victorian Premier John Brumby and his state's tourism industry a big return on their investment. More here.
- Brett Debritz