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Pippa Grandison took over the role of Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins from Marina Prior in October. Neil Litchfield caught up with Pippa in her dressing room at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, before a recent performance.
Pippa Grandison is no stranger to taking over roles at the Capitol. She took over the role of Elphaba in Wicked from Amanda Harrison, and shared it for six months last year.
How have you found stepping into the role of Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins?
"I'm becoming the take-over queen. It was odd at first, coming back in here, but it's a totally different role, and a totally different cast. Elphaba was quite huge - not that Mrs Banks isn't a challenging role - but she's a lot closer to my age, which means I get to sit down every now and then.
"Take-overs are all quick. There's only a certain amount of time they give you, and there's a lot of homework, but you're on your own and quite isolated, then you're thrown on to the stage, and pretty much your first audience is your first full run through the show. Your first dress rehearsal, your first tech run, and all of that happens on one night in front of a full-paying audience, so I feel the weight of responsibility to be up to scratch straight away. So I do find it tricky, but by the same token, that's quite exhilarating, as long as you manage to pull it off."
Did you find yourself building your relationships with the other characters on stage as well?
"I had quite a bit of time with Phillip (Quast), because there's a lot of emotional work going on in the relationship between George and Winifred. We wanted to get that right, and he very generously gave a lot of his time, and we worked together as if we were in the rehearsal room for the first time. We played, we moved things around, and that was a godsend. So, when I got out there with him, I felt quite comfortable. I was really nervous before I stepped on, but then I managed to lose myself in my character husband.
© Stage Whispers
