This production had dual casts in the principal roles. In the interest of fairness to all, we reviewed both casts. Jacqui Wall reviewed the Chim Chim cast and Brian Godfrey reviewed the Cher-ee cast.
Cher-ee Cast
Whilst only eleven of the fifty something cast are doubled in this production; it must be mentioned how strong in vocals everyone is and the fact that they all give it everything they’ve got.
In this cast Bryce Young is a stern George Banks playing the role with a nice Victorian harshness that does tend to get a little too ‘shouty’ at times but does allow himself to soften towards the end. His wife, Winifred Banks is given a great strength of character by Abby Hall bringing out Mrs Banks devotion to her husband whilst maintaining a motherly love for her children. Lucy Oster does a great line in Cockney as the Housekeeper Mrs Brill; just a word of warning (and this may have been direction) but a servant would never, ever touch the mistress of the house in Victorian England, certainly not in a gesture of caring. Probably not noticeable to ninety-nine per cent of the audience, but this reviewer is a stickler for Victorian etiquette. Kaylee Vincent is horribly wonderful as the Holy Terror, Miss Andrews.
As Jane and Michael Banks, Annabelle Coulson and Estelle Robinson are delightful. They are always lovable even when being ‘naughty’. Estelle makes a great boy and delivers the comedy lines like a professional.
I first saw Joel Ewens in his first ever role, Kipps in “Half A Sixpence” and was very impressed. Now having seen him perform as Bert, I’m even more so! Even though this young man plays Bert in both casts and has already been reviewed, he more than deserves to be mentioned again. Ewens is a ‘triple threat’ and gives the role the panache it deserves. He is cheeky, lovable and sells every song he sings. In short, Ewens is a natural.
“Mary Poppins”, of course, would be nothing without a good Mary Poppins. Lilly Marr-McGuire is not ‘practically perfect’ in the role – she IS Perfect!! In fact, she is excellent!!! Her singing voice is very reminiscent of Julie Andrews’s, and her British accent is ‘posh’itively perfect. Marr-McGuire’s stance never falters and neither does her character. She works well and bounces off each actor wonderfully, particularly Ewens.
To sum up, and even though I have not mentioned everybody, this cast is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Chim Chim Cast
Mary Poppins is based on the children’s books by P.L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film fused together including songs from the film. It was then produced as a Broadway Musical by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Productions with the result being a lively and entertaining look at family life and the importance of having a little fun every now and then.
Opening night saw the Chim Chim cast performing to an almost full and enthusiastic audience complete with a red carpet event prior to the show. The stage is set with the rooftops complete with lights in windows and a wonderful use of the pit and a covered thrust stage. I was constantly holding my breath praying the cast would not fall in, they were so close to the edge.
Joel Ewens as Bert opens the show and appeared a little hesitant to start but soon shook off the nerves to give us a fabulous performance of a jack of all trades who provides us with snippets of back story throughout. He would be the modern day Neighbourhood Watch as he sees and knows everything that happens in Cherry Tree Lane. Joel is a relative newcomer to musical theatre and acquitted himself exceedingly well including learning the tap routine for Step-In-Time during the second half
Holly EM Thompson was our Mary Poppins. Her singing was magical and her movement throughout the show made her appear to glide. Holly gave us the exact amount of firmness and sass whilst still coming across as happy and friendly to the children and everyone she knew and met in the streets. Her interactions with Bert were genuine and the audience were wishing she didn’t have to leave at the end so Bert’s heart would not be broken.
Jane and Michael Banks were performed by Ava Heintz and Tiffany Ali respectively. Both children had excellent stage presence and vocally were very sweet. Their comedic timing was excellent, and their throw-away lines were never lost.
Jordan Pitt was Mr George Banks and showed us what happens when you are raised without love or kindness. His shift from cold, uncaring, keep up with the Jones personality to a loving, present parent is heartwarming. Some of the vocals were challenging but Jordan tackled them with perseverance.
Mrs Winifred Banks played by Lily Cotton was the quintessential Wife and Mother, always wanting to please her husband, whilst at the same time trying to run a household of rambunctious children and well-meaning but not always useful servants. Her rendition of Being Mrs Banks was beautiful.
Imogen Lewis as Mrs Brill and Thomas Baker as Robertson Ay were the perfect foil for the uptight personalities in the household. The issuing of instructions and subsequent almost slapstick routine in the kitchen was joyful to watch and gave the audience the lightweight moments that were needed amongst the darkness especially when Miss Andrew arrives.
Played by Chelsie Riches, Miss Andrew was Ms Trunchbull crossed with Cruella de Ville. Her menacing stage presence gave everyone the creeps and her vocal battle with Mary Poppins was a masterclass in how two people can perform equally without overshadowing one another.
I have only listed nine of the 55 cast members but the remaining 46, rest assured you were noticed and performed extremely well. The blocking in a couple of scenes was an issue, for example the letter going up the chimney could not be seen but that is a positioning situation not performance. Also, the first two times that Mary “flew” could not be seen as it was blocked by cast. Again, a matter of positions. I had forgotten just how many set changes were involved in this show and my congratulations must go to the Sweep Stagehands.
There were a few issues with the sound mix early on with the music overpowering the vocals, but this was fixed very quickly. Also, some inconsistencies with the lighting with some scenes too dark to be able to see the performers. Some of the downlight specials were coming from behind so faces were not highlighted which might easily be fixed with some light from Bridge 2 or some footlights. Costumes were beautiful and entirely appropriate, in particular Mary Poppins with her changes. The sheer number of costumes involved in this production would have been a true lesson in logistics.
Overall, the show was exciting, colourful, fun and enchanting. At the end of the day, these performers are our future in live theatre in South Australia, and they did an amazing job.
