The winds have changed once more, bringing with it arguably the world’s most famous nanny, Mary Poppins, back to Australia. Granted, this isn’t an overly uncommon event. Unlike other Disney musicals, Mary Poppins the Musical has been available to license by community theatre organisations through MTI for many years now. However, it has been around a decade since we’ve seen a high-budget Australian tour commence. Following a sort of renaissance period for the franchise in the last decade, following Saving Mr Banks and the official sequel to the 60s film Mary Poppins Returns hitting the silver screen, we were well overdue for a new tour. Thanks to the teams at Michael Cassel Group, Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh – in 2022 and into 2023 we can now watch the production at full Broadway calibre again. Following its debut at the Sydney Lyric Theatre earlier this year, Mary Poppins has taken the winds up to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Lyric Theatre, where it is due to run until the early days of 2023. Is it worth seeing, however? Read on to find out.
A Much Better Mary Poppins Experience Overall
While every Disney musical pushes the bounds in terms of choreography, I would argue it also excels in one other area. With The Lion King the Musical, it was costume design, immersing viewers in the African savannah. For Aladdin the Musical, it was the set designs, taking patrons on a journey into another Arabian Night. Then with Frozen the Musical, it was adapting the magic of the film to the theatre environment. While Mary Poppins the Musical manages all elements fantastically, where it excels is its lyrics and rewritten narrative, making it a more cohesive and enjoyable experience than the iconic movie. Regarding its narrative, the foundations of the plot are maintained. Namely: the four members of the Banks family, their being visited by Mary Poppins following the immediate resignation of ‘Katie Nanna’, and the conclusion where they come together as a family who no longer needs a nanny.
While the start and end points are almost the same, everything in between has been reorganised – with new happenings, characters, and an overall darker and richer tone. The rewritten narrative for the stage is much more cohesive and well-paced, also replacing elements that were targeted at keeping the attention of children and making them more appealing and complex for those of all ages. Supported by a more complex, sassier and vain Mary Poppins, children can still enjoy all the stage play that happens, while adults can enjoy the sophisticated story complemented by genuinely humorous moments. Sure there is some slapstick, mostly at the expense of the Banks family servants, but they balance it out well. Furthermore, it is just a better-written script full-stop, progressing events in better order, retooling some of the songs, and implementing new characters (both from the books and original) such as Mrs Corry and Miss Andrew who brought much-needed depth to the character of Mr Banks and the adventures of the children.
Rather than simply taking the songs from the film and finding ways to work them into the new narrative, many of the original tracks were either rewritten, repurposed, or dropped outright. Furthermore, a suite of new songs written by George Stiles and Anthony Drew fills in many gaps and doesn’t conflict with the Sherman Bros. originals. Songs such as Step in Time, Chim Chimer-ee, and It’s a Jolly Holiday all return in rewritten forms (both with regards to lyrics and narrative). Frankly, these scenes are worth the price of admission alone, all complemented by incredible set designs, costuming and choreography. Feed the Birds and the Bird Woman are promoted in importance to the story. Easily the best song in the film, the song is enriched by a beautiful duet between her and Mary Poppins in the first act. The new songs are also splendid, giving some wonderful variety alongside the already existing songs – from the new flagship song Anything Can Happen which always gives that “butterflies in the stomach” feeling, to the intense tones of Playing the Game which is complemented by a toybox containing some of the creepiest looking dolls I have ever seen.
Another small highlight is the inclusion of reprised versions of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Step in Time following their original performances, to buy time for the next scene transition. While not important enough to be included on any cast soundtrack in the past, these are two moments where I genuinely wanted to give a mid-show standing ovation.
An Amazing Australian Cast
For many in the musical theatre industry, I imagine that playing Mary Poppins could be considered a career highlight. This time, that honour goes to Stefanie Jones, who in recent years has shown to be one of the most versatile actors on Australian stages – including as Monica in Friends! The Musical Parody and more notably as Rhonda Epinstall in Global Creatures’ Australian tour of Muriel’s Wedding the Musical – a very different character from Mary Poppins. She fits perfectly as the nanny, delivering what could surpass Julie Andrews’s level of charm enriched by the increased wit and mystery around the character in this adaptation. The shoes of the jack-of-all-trades Bert are filled by Jack Chambers, whose dancing ability and lovable larrikin personality fit the character perfectly as well. With neither of these prominent characters being direct copies of the roles filled by Andrews and Van Dyke in the 60s, it gave them the freedom to deliver characters without stereotypical expectations fostered over more than half a century, which they both filled marvellously.
While these are the two leading characters, the other main cast also performs to a high standard, with Tom Wren and Lucy Maunder bringing their own charm to the roles of George and Winifred Banks. Also shining were Hannah Waterman and Gareth Isaac as Mrs Brill and Robertson Ay (the Banks family servants). Local children have been recruited to fill the roles of Jane and Michael Banks, and for the opening night performance, the roles were given to Dorothea Seierup and Fraser Goodreid respectively. With Mary Poppins both being their musical theatre debut, and being one of the first times the pair would have performed to a full audience of Brisbane theatre-goers, they were mind-boggling good.
A standing ovation must also go to the show’s large ensemble cast. Perhaps because we have been facing a pandemic the last few years, it is refreshing to not only see so many people performing on-stage at once, but they performed at a consistently high standard, especially with the rigorous demands of Step in Time where they were meticulously in-sync with one another.
One thing I don’t like too much in some musicals is the idea of a ‘Celebrity Cameo’ role. The idea that a role could be held for a familiar face doesn’t sit well with me. But I will admit there are exceptions, and this would be one of them. While Nancye Hayes is filling the role of the Bird Woman in some states, Patti Newton, partner of the late Bert Newton, is covering the role in Brisbane. She is downright incredible as the character, giving an impassioned performance that well and truly earned her one of the largest applauses of opening night.
With this being a high-budget production of Mary Poppins the Musical, you can bet that all the stage magic associated with the show is on full display. From Mary Poppins flying over the audience at the end (although I assume due to the design of the QPAC Lyric Theatre, not directly over the balconies) to Bert tap dancing his way around the stage’s proscenium arch, there are many fun stage tricks scattered throughout the musical. While the set designs might not be as elaborate as more recent Disney musicals, one element of staging I truly loved was the 17 Cherry Tree Lane building, which was designed in multiple parts but primarily took the form of the building with a pop-out-book effect section that revealed the interior. Simple? Quite possibly! A delight to the eyes? Most definitely!
A Delight for All Ages, A Splendid Post-Pandemic Welcome Back to Theatres
A classic reimagined and better than ever, Mary Poppins the Musical’s newest Australian production is one you should step in line to get tickets for. While the original film may have a (perhaps ill-conceived) stigma of being primarily for children, the musical is its own unique experience that is a pure delight from start to finish for all ages, combining the best elements of the original with refreshed and rewritten songs and script. Complementing this experience is a talented Australian cast full of triple-threats (acting, dancing, singing), who will immerse you in this bewitching and enjoyable (almost) three-hour experience. Given pandemic lockdowns are more or less behind us now, Mary Poppins the Musical is a great reminder of the grandeur and scale that the big musicals can offer attendees, and what we can hopefully look forward to more of in the coming months and years.
Mary Poppins the Musical is currently performing at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s Lyric Theatre until Early-January 2023, where it will then travel to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne from 29 January 2023. For information on how to book tickets, visit the show’s official website.
Opening Night tickets to Mary Poppins the Musical were provided for the purpose of this review by Australian producer Michael Cassel Group