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Based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film. Original music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman. Book by Julian Fellowes. New songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Antony Drewe. Capitol Theatre, Sydney. Opened May 5.
The biggest surprise for Stage Whispers on opening night came when Cameron Mackintosh revealed to our Editor Neil Litchfield at the after show party how he managed to snare ex-pat Australian music theatre superstar Phillip Quast to play Mr Banks.
Mackintosh and Quast met by chance in the bathroom of a top London theatrical eatery, where Quast expressed his desire to return home to Australia.
Mackintosh suggested that Quast play the role of Mr Banks in Australia, and their chance encounter has paid big dividends for Australian audiences.
Phillip Quast completes a stellar cast, the likes of which is rarely assembled on the music theatre stage, in a production that is ‘practically perfect in every way’.
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In my interview with Philip Quast, who plays Mr Banks (in our May / June print edition), he says “Richard Eyre (the director of Mary Poppins) says this show is called, in his own words, ‘The Denouement of George Banks,’ and I suspect in some ways he’s the one who has got the big journey in the show.” That’s indicative of the satisfying central deeper level that this production finds from the darker source material, substantially softened in the somewhat cornier film version.
© Stage Whispers
