SupercalifragilisticASHLEY BROWNidocious

Ashley Brown has never actually met a real chimney sweep, but she has fed the birds and flown kites on the beach in her hometown of Gulf Breeze, Florida, and for audiences of the Ahmanson Theatre, Brown transforms eight times a week into one of the most magical literary characters ever to grace the stage and screen, Mary Poppins.

“I really had to work hard to land this role. My agent called and said they’re doing ‘Mary Poppins’ on Broadway and they’d like to see you. So I went in with hundreds of other girls. Many of them had much more experience than me. I auditioned nine different times over a period of four months in front of (producer/co-creator) Cameron Mackintosh, (director) Richard Eyre, and through all these auditions, I pretty much learned the whole show. And then I was doing the role of Belle in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ on Broadway, and one evening as I was getting my wig on, Tom Schumacher, the president of Disney Theatrical came to my dressing room and said, ‘You’re going to be our new Mary Poppins.’ I started crying. Shumaucher said, “You should be happy.” Brown replied “This is happy.”

After playing the enchanted English nanny on Broadway for two years before coming to L.A, Brown will end her run as Mary in February. On the immediate horizon, she’s focusing on promoting her debut CD, “Speak Low,” a lush collection of traditional pop and jazz standards.

“I’m going to be doing lots of concerts next year around the U.S. including Feinstein’s in Manhattan on Valentine’s Day, and the Kennedy Center next November. I don’t have a permanent residence right now. I’m a nomad, kind of like Mary.”

When asked if Dame Julie Andrews (who won the Best Actress Oscar for the 1964 film), has seen Brown in the role, she replies “I did a performance at the Geffen last year. They gave an award to Disney President/ C.E.O. Bob Iger, and I sang “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” with the Dick Van Dyke, and I was told Julie Andrews was going to be in the audience. I could see her a little bit while I was onstage, but I tried not to look at her because it made me so nervous. Afterwards, we met and she was so sweet. She said, “You sounded gorgeous.”

“I have to give credit to the show’s creative team. They didn’t ever put the pressure on me to be like Julie Andrews, or the girl who did the role in London. They let me make it my own and I appreciated that. I tried to find a happy medium with the book, the new material, and the movie. There’s no re-creating Julie Andrews, she did an amazing job. I had to come up with making it my own and I had a good time bringing my own sass to it.”

Surrounding Brown’s dressing room mirror are dozens of family photographs. “My family are my everything. They all came for the opening. After the show they said, “I think this is the first time I ever saw you hang up a coat.” I wish Mary’s tidiness would rub off on me just a bit more.

In order to keep up with the tall order of physical exertion involved with the role, and to keep her pristine singing voice crystal clear, Brown has to remain very disciplined, and stays away from spoonsfull of sugar. “I have to eat healthy, get lots of rest, and go to the gym. I’ve had people say, ‘I bet you don’t have to work out because you dance so much during the show,’ but I have to work out so I can dance like this all week long under layers of corsets and wool. There is an inherent pressure to be seamless when you’re Mary. I sing a song called ‘Practically Perfect’ so I can’t exactly be off-key or hoarse.”

As part of the show’s grand finale, Mary flies over the audience, umbrella in hand, past the highest theatre balcony, until she finally disappears into the ceiling. “It’s fun to see how the audience reacts. Most of the women and the children have this wondrous look as if to say, “How magical!” while the men are looking trying to figure out the mechanics of it. [laughs] Every once in a while I will see a grown man crying. It’s a great moment.” ▼

 “Mary Poppins” runs through February 7th at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. www.ahmansontheater.com Ashley Brown’s “Speak Low” can be found now on ITunes, and in stores on January 12th. www.ashleybrownonline.com