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The title character, a late-Victorian-era nanny who flies in under her umbrella to help troubled families, aptly sums up this musical in her closing words. Like her resolution of the problems in the Banks family, it is “practically perfect”.
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Verity Hunt-Ballard is a superb Mary Poppins, beautifully integrating the character’s charm, practicality and a vanity that wasn’t there in the film.
Her 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious', a song expounding the pleasures of life and with the backing of a large chorus, was a showstopper that deservedly had the audience calling out “bravo”.
Matt Lee, as Bert, the narrator and jack of all trades with a yen for Mary, was a heart-warmer and had those watching open-mouthed with his upside-down skywalk in the jovial rooftop dance performed with Mary, the children and chimney sweeps in 'Step in Time'.
Philip Quast and Marina Prior give a humanity to the children’s troubled parents that wasn’t in the film, with Ashleigh Ross and Cameron Holmes, one of five teams playing the Banks children, also showing on opening night the reasons for the youngsters’ antisocial behaviour. Playing the Game, in which the children’s colourful toys come to life to complain about their treatment, was a dazzling way of delivering that plot-significant message.
© Fairfax Media
