BWW Reviews: MARY POPPINS Delights Now thru June 10

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – coo, what a sight! Mary Poppins flew into San Jose bringing magic and mayhem in the most delightful way. The opening night crowd for Broadway San Jose’s Mary Poppins was thoroughly prepared to be properly entertained and they were not disappointed – though anyone expecting a repeat of the movie probably was just a wee bit let down.  Written by Julian Fellows, Mary Poppins the musical, combines the best of P.L. Travers’ original book with the classic Disney movie to arrive at a more in-depth look at the residents of No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane. The must have beloved tunes from the movie (Oscars were won by The Sherman Brothers) and equally hummable songs from George Stiles and Anthony Drewe  make for an unforgettable night at the theatre. Hodges and Hodges were there for the magical high jinx and fun as well as the somewhat darker elements of Mary Poppins, playing now through June 10 at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

The show takes us to London, circa 1910, to the upper-crust home of Mr. and Mrs. Banks (Michael Dean Morgan and Elizabeth Broadhurst) and their children Jane and Michael (Cherish Myers and Zach Timson this night), who have driven away every nanny their parents have hired.  Where the movie only touches on the prim and proper problems of the adult Banks, the musical delves more deeply into their psychological underpinnings.  George Banks has childhood nanny baggage of his own, while WiniFred Looks back a little too fondly on her life before family.  It’s no wonder their children are incorrigible. As Bert the chimney sweep tells us, “Something is needed to twist them up, tight as the string you might use when you’re flying a kite.”  That “something” ends up being a nanny named Poppins who’s practically perfect in every way.

Linda:  Bob Crowley won the Tony for this show for Best Scenic Design in 2007.  Do you think he deserved it, Nick?

Nick:  Absolutely.  I thought the sets were just brilliant.  The Bank’s house on Cherry Tree Lane opening up like a giant pop-up book and the inside looked like a proper Edwardian dollhouse. The blast of vivid color in “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was just breathtaking.  And the dramatic shift from the gloomy London park to the magical, multicolored wonderland of Bert’s painting was beautiful.

Linda:  Director Richard Eyre did a great job staging this Broadway baby for the touring version.  On Broadway Mary flies in from the audience balcony and there’s a massive cage to capture the wicked Miss Andrew, George’s childhood nanny.  For the touring company version, Mary magically appears from behind the family as a glimmer of stars (lighting by Howard Harrison) appears in the house (though she does do some light flying later).  And instead of the cage, Miss Andrew is consigned to the coat closet never to be seen again.

Nick:  You can’t look too closely at the demise of Nanny Andrew or else you’d realize that Scotland Yard should be called in to investigate Mary Poppins.  The whole thing was a bit dodgy.

Linda:  Perhaps Sherlock Holmes to the rescue?  But that dark bit aside Rachel Wallace played Poppins with aplomb – coolly reserved on the one hand and sweetly charming on the other.

Nick:  Practically perfect?

Linda:  Okay, I wasn’t going to say it, but yes, practically perfect in every way.  She made the part her own, filling some very big Julie Andrew’s pointy, Poppins boots quite well.  Her close friend Bert, was played beautifully by Case Dillard.

Linda Hodges is a freelance writer who has been covering the vibrant and exciting San Francisco Bay Area theater scene for the past two years. A dedicated theater aficionado, Linda first became involved in the dramatic arts while in college, becoming one of the first “techies” at her school to be voted into Delta Psi Omega, the National Theater Honor Society. She holds a Masters in Theological Studies from Pacific School of Religion and maintains that theater, at its best, is a religious experience! Linda is currently working on her first novel and, as always, is looking forward to another opening night. Nick Hodges has performed in theater since the fifth grade and his passion for the arts has only continued to grow. He studied acting for three years at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco as well as the Berkeley Repertory Theater and Dance 10 Studio. Through these rich and varied experiences he has gained a deeper and thorough perspective of what it truly takes to make a theatrical production successful. Nick is 23 and is currently living in the San Francisco bay area. He is thrilled to be working with BroadwayWorld!

More Articles by This Author...