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It is easy to be critical of the various "new" musicals that are based on popular films, pre-existing pop-culture franchises, or even the discography of aging rock bands as all being cynically derivative and cashing in on the notionally "safe" bankability of nostalgia. This can be true… but it doesn’t necessarily mean the final product isn’t any good.
This production most certainly is good. Better than good. Much much better than good. But it is also not really as straightforward an appeal to nostalgia as you might expect. Those expecting a direct recreation of the beloved Julie Andrews Disney film on stage will find they are in for something considerably different. What Cameron Mackintosh and writer Julian Fellowes have done in essence is create a new adaptation that incorporates elements from P. L. Travers' original books whilst still using other aspects of the film version’s content, including most of its memorable songs, to create a composite that is both delightful and a more interesting and edgy narrative.
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The rest of the large ensemble cast was excellent bar none, with the always wonderful Marina Prior doing a great job in the expanded role of Mrs. Banks, opposite the terrific Philip Quast portraying Mr. Banks’ transition from curmudgeonly conservatism, through to despair, and then reborn with a newly childlike zest for life and family. Sally-Anne Upton was very memorable as the boisterous cook Mrs. Brill, Leah Howard brought a lot to the "new" character of Mrs. Corry, and Anna-Lee Robertson (filling in for Judi Connelli) portrayed the villainous Miss Andrew with suitably vaudevillian gusto.
© Australian Stage Online
