I grew up with Julie Andrews’s magical English nanny and have been looking forward to see Disney and Cameron Macintosh’s stage adaptation and now blockbuster musical hit Mary Poppins.The set was a work of genius. The Banks family’s house seemed like it came out of a pop-up book.
The audience is first oriented to the front of the house. The humongous set turns around to reveal the inside replete with a living room, a kitchen, and a stairway to the bedroom which is another set altogether that sets the stage for the rooftop sequences.
The audience couldn’t help but give a rousing applause in amazement and appreciation as each section literally unfolds.
It was an absolute joy to listen and sing-along (in silence, of course) to familiar tunes and to hear new original songs created for the musical.“A Spoonful Of Sugar” had a hilarious twist. The hymnal “Feed The Birds” still resonated with reverence. For the uber-popular “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, the ensemble spelled out each letter using their bodies.
“Step In Time” is the musical’s highlight with show-stopping tap dancing from the floor to the walls and even up to the ceiling. Bert (Gavin Lee) was literally upside-down singing and dancing.
The adage “They saved the best for last” couldn’t have been truer in the finale. Mary Poppins floated from one side of the stage towards the center waving at the audience.
From there she bids the audience farewell as she flies over the entire auditorium from the orchestra section to the mezzanine and up to the balcony. The audience’s cheers grew louder and louder as Mary Poppins flew higher and higher.I could see people with bugged eyes and slacked jaws clapping in disbelief. Shouts of praise resonated along with Mary Poppins’ flight and climaxed when she finally disappears onto the rooftop of Ahmanson Theatre.
Now that’s a finale!
The photo below is a link to an online album where my friend, Summer, and I had our pre-show supper.
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| The Boiling Crab |
Photos in this post and the online album are author's property
