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Mary Poppins, the film, was never a childhood favourite of mine. The story and songs about this most magical of nannies are not my usual fare, either. So, waltzing along to Melbourne’s latest Broadway blockbuster at Her Majesty’s Theatre was a lesson for me. But little did I know that just over two hours later, I would walk out with a lesson in musical theatre I may never forget.
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Apart from the magical plot and charming songs, the strength in this Mary Poppins is the fact that there is NO weak link in the chain. Co-producer, Cameron Mackintosh, said that due to Australia’s relatively small theatre industry compared to other countries, nowhere else in the world could he cast many of a nations’s leading men and women of the stage in the one show (The Age, 1 Aug., 2001).
Experience certainly adds weight when you want a musical to be “practically perfect” and Mary Poppins has its weight in gold. Understandably though, some of the characters are thinned out a little for the stage production. Marina Prior plays the role of Winifred Banks with that beautiful voice. Philip Quast is a strong and stoic George Banks. Younger audience members will delight in the skill and captivating attraction of Matt Lee who does a fabulous job playing Bert. Other notable performances include Sally-Anne Upton as the hilarious Mrs Brill, Christopher Rickerby as the caricatured Robertson Ay, Judi Connelli as the scary Miss Andrew and Debra Byrne as Bird Woman.
© The Drama Teacher
