Mary Poppins

I flew a kite over Engadine and landed at 17 Cherry Tree Lane...

Engadine’s Mary Poppins is a lavish and visually spectacular affair. The stage musical version follows the original books far closer than the Disney film, though the Disney songs remain. Mary Poppins is still practically perfect but not totally a spoonful of sugar (think: a slightly annoyed Julie Andrews and not afraid to show it).

The juggernaut set, special effects (except some misbehaving kites) and colourful costumes took my breath away. I hope whoever built or coordinated those things gets some reward for their efforts. Equally too the stage crew for moving the sets as fast as they did.

But the most razzle dazzling effects and costumes count for nothing if the cast isn’t up to scratch and the audience isn’t engaged with them. Fortunately this cast more than meets the challenge. It’s a tribute to Rod Herbert’s direction and the talent of the cast that I was more engaged with and sympathetic to the plight of the Banks family here than I was in the professional production.

Elise Atkins shines as Mary Poppins, making you forget about Julie Andrews. Similarly Louis Vinciguerra leaves Dick van Dyke behind with a charming and high-energy Bert. Craig Davidson’s George Banks has warmth and gravitas, while I thought Julie Ryan as Winifred Banks did a better job than her professional counterpart. Sue Bunt as the maid and Daniel O’Connell as the butler can steal my scenes any time.  Tanya Boyle, doubling as the carny Mrs Corry, and the “Holy Terror” Miss Andrew displayed great vocal gymnastics and totally owned the stage whenever she was on. All the singing was excellent.

I’ve seen too many child performers who are just bratty stage darlings with fake smiles. It’s a relief in this show, as in some recent ones I’ve seen, that Kai Lloyd-Jones and Sophia Zecchin as the Banks children not only bring the talent but also come across as genuine and real, with excellent delivery and projection.

I felt the show didn’t start being a show until Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious happened early in Act 1, although with Lynley Fuller’s energetic choreography it came across as “Supercalisthenics” (I mean that as a compliment). After that the cast seemed to get their confidence and it was all great from there, and after all, this was opening night. Highlights for me were the aforementioned Super song and the chimney sweeps’ Step In Time.

If I had a problem, it was the sluggish script (not Engadine’s fault). It’s all very nice to create an adaptation that would please the author, but I think Disney was onto something when he offended P.L. Travers by taking gross artistic licenses in making the movie. Many incidental characters and extra unnecessary songs  (not written by the Shermans) populate the stage musical, and they could be cut without any loss. However, this appeals to amateur societies as the bit roles give members chances to shine. Either way, Engadine kept things moving for the nearly 3-hour run. And at least everyone’s cameos were fun scene-stealers.

In a recent times I have written about excessive smoke effects. This show also featured smoke and haze but is an excellent example of how, when used judiciously, such technology can enhance a show.

Be warned that the accoustics of the cavernous Sutherland Entertainment Centre are such that if you’re stuck upstairs near the gods (as we were) you’ll probably hear a harsher sound balance than if downstairs. A friend who was seated downstairs told me at interval that the singers were heard perfectly with the orchestra ably supporting them. 

Well worth a pop in.

Peter Novakovich