In ‘Mary Poppins Returns,’ an Ode to the Gas Lamp

“Mary Poppins Returns” transports audiences back to 1930s London. Lin-Manuel Miranda (center) as a lamplighter. Walt Disney Productions

The beloved nanny at the center of the original 1964 hit film will return, this time played by Emily Blunt.

But Mary’s original companion, Bert, a chimney sweep played by Dick Van Dyke, has been replaced by Jack, a lamplighter played by Lin-Manuel Miranda.