"Mary Poppins" drops into Scranton for photogenic visit

SCRANTON — “Mary Poppins” will drop into downtown Sunday at a street-art spectacle that should make the umbrella-floating nanny feel right at home.

The cast and crew of a “Mary Poppins” play performed a few months ago by students of Valley View High School in Archbald will appear Sunday from 2-3 p.m. under the umbrella art display in the 500 block of Bogart Court in Scranton.

“Families, friends and especially kids are welcome to step back in time with ‘Mary Poppins’ and the cast as they stroll amidst Scranton’s historic buildings beneath 96 umbrellas suspended high above Bogart Court,” according to an announcement of the event by Frank Dubas, the city resident who created the umbrella art display.

Dubas first made a big splash in spring 2023 with dozens of multicolored umbrellas strung up across Bogart Court, which is the alley behind the 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue, between South Washington and Cedar avenues.

He hung up the opened umbrellas between the elevated Renaissance Park abutting Bogart Court and the upper floors of three vacant contiguous historic buildings he owns at 514, 516 and 518 Lackawanna Ave.

In February, Valley View Performing Arts asked Dubas to create a similar umbrella display at the high school in Archbald in advance of the “Mary Poppins” play performed there by students.

In April, Dubas replicated the spring fling of umbrellas over Bogart Court. He calls the umbrella street-art installation, “April Showers, Scranton Empowers.”

And now the “Mary Poppins” cast and crew will make an appearance Sunday under the Bogart Court umbrellas.

Umbrellas and other props will be available for the public to take photos and selfies.