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In an era of heightened alarm regarding childhood obesity, constant harmonising about administering a spoonful of sugar might seem rather quaint, but that won't stop Mary Poppins from resonating with modern audiences.
She may bear an uncanny physical resemblance to Alice the maid from The Brady Bunch (albeit a much slimmer and youthful version), but in spirit Verity Hunt-Ballard is pure Julie Andrews.
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Supporting casts are rarely more stellar than the likes of Marina Prior and Philip Quast, who helm the well-to-do yet fractured family as Winifred and George Banks. Prior, as always, is a commanding presence, drawing spontaneous applause on the fleeting occasions the score allows her to embark on some vocal gymnastics.
Quast brings a gravitas and understated sensitivity to a character who, in lesser hands, could have emerged as deeply unsympathetic.
© The Daily Telegraph
