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'Mary Poppins' and 'Lion King' Light Up Broadway for Autistic Theatergoers

By Amy Zimmer | February 9, 2012 6:47pm
"Mary Poppins" is performed onstage at the 61st Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 10, 2007 in New York City. An autism-friendly performance of the play will occur on April 29, 2012.
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Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

MANHATTAN — Broadway is reprising a successful performance of "The Lion King"  held just for autistic theatergoers, and will add "Mary Poppins" to its schedule of shows that will be tailored to the needs of adults and children on the spectrum.

The Theatre Development Fund will present autism-friendly matinees for the Disney hits — "Mary Poppins," on Apr. 29, and "The Lion King," on Sept. 30 — as part of its efforts to make theater accessible for all audiences, the nonprofit announced this week.

The musicals are slightly altered to accommodate the audience's needs, including a reduction in volume or the removal of jarring sounds or strobe lights. The theaters' lobbies have designated quiet zones staffed with autism experts  for those who need to leave their seats during the performance.

"Nothing could be better than to have an autism-friendly theater that is a totally safe place for a family to be with their child with autism," said Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks, in a statement.

For both performances, TDF has purchased every seat in the house to sell to families with autistic members, just as it did with the sold-out Oct. 2 "Lion King" performance, where tickets topped out at $79.

"Mary Poppins" is nearly sold out, according to TDF officials. The next "Lion King" tickets will go on sale in late spring.

"The pilot autism-friendly performance of 'The Lion King' was successful beyond our greatest expectations," added Victoria Bailey, TDF's executive director, in a statement. "It was tremendously emotional watching families experience live theatre together for the first time in an environment that was safe and supportive."

The organization has been working with a panel of experts to help develop the program, and everyone in the production — including the cast, crew and theater staff — is involved to pull it off.

For many parents, that pilot performance was the first time they were able to bring their children to the theater.

"It took 18 long years, but our son finally got to see his first Broadway show," Suzanne and Jeff S. told TDF.