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Linley Wilkie of Melbourne Weekly finds out why Verity Hunt-Ballard's role as Ms Poppins is practically perfect in every way.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (Adelaide), there lived a girl named Verity. Across the road from Verity lived Betty Candy, an elderly lady, who loved classic cinema and owned a library of midday movies that would make Bill Collins proud.
Betty's video collection opened Verity's eyes to a world of movie musicals. She would feed her parents some line about having to pop over to Betty's, then stay in front of the television for hours, captivated by the likes of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Shirley Temple and Julie Andrews.
The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins were enjoyed repeatedly, Verity completely under the spell of Andrews' characters. She was particularly mesmerised by the prim and proper Poppins, an enigmatic nanny from another world who led two children on a magical journey.
