Are you looking for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious way to start the new year? Pentacle Theatre is producing the musical “Mary Poppins” for its annual January fundraiser. The show runs Jan. 8-10 at Central High School in Independence.Here are five ways director Deborah Johansen hopes “Mary Poppins” will be a “Jolly Holiday” for audiences.
1. The story is “A Spoonful of Sugar” for the family.
“Mary Poppins” tells the classic tale of the Banks family of London. Mr. and Mrs. Banks need a new nanny to control their children. When a mysterious Mary Poppins appears at their door, she answers their prayers in a most peculiar, magical and adventurous way, and even the adults learn a lesson from her.
“There’s this amazing arc to the story about family, love of family and what it means to put family first,” Johansen said of the family-friendly production. “It’s entertaining and fun.”
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2. In the stage adaptation, the creator of “Downton Abbey” makes headway “Saving Mr. Banks.”
The stage adaptation’s book was written by Julian Fellowes, creator of “Downton Abbey.” It’s not just a retelling of the beloved 1964 Walt Disney film starring Julie Andrews. Johansen said the stage production draws more from the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers and has a darker tone. For example, when the children treat their toys poorly, the toys come to life and attack them.
If you’ve seen the Disney film “Saving Mr. Banks,” you know Travers was not completely pleased with Disney’s film. Johansen said when the stage adaptation was in development in the early 1990s, producer Cameron Mackintosh secured the rights to adapt the books with Travers’ request that the Sherman Brothers, who wrote the film’s music, have nothing to do with the stage adaptation. According to an article in The Telegraph, when Travers died in 1996, a clause in her will stipulated that she wanted no Americans involved in future adaptations of “Poppins.”
Fans of the film’s classic songs need not worry. After Travers’ death, Mackintosh struck a deal with Disney to use many of the songs from the film. New songs also are in the stage production withmusic and lyrics written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
3. The cast will “Step in Time” with great choreography.
The “Poppins” film has some spectacular dancing. “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Step in Time” are classic silver-screen dance numbers. They remain in the stage production, which is choreographed by Geri Sanders, who danced in last summer’s “Chicago.”
“The choreography is truly amazing. Geri outdid herself,” Johansen said. “I think people are going to be shocked in a good way.”
Be prepared for a few differences from the film. In the stage adaptation, there are no dancing penguins. Instead, as in the books, there are dancing statues.
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4. While it takes tuppence to “Feed the Birds,” it takes dollars to make Mary Poppins fly.
The staging of Pentacle’s January fundraisers usuallyismore minimalistic than the theater’s seasonal productions. Johansen said thatthanks to the work of Wendy Boyack, technical director and designer of “an amazing minimalistic set,” and the costumes designed by Anne LaPorte, the “Poppins” production will be “three-fourths of a full production.”
One concession for which audiences should be prepared is that Poppins will not fly and Bert will not dance upside down on the proscenium arch, as he did in the Broadway production.
“The idea of putting on a fundraiser is to put on as high-quality show as possible while spending the least amount of money. The cost of flying Mary was prohibitive,” Johansen said. “The audience will understand the limitations and enjoy it for what it is.”
5. Johansen aimed to cast “The Perfect Nanny” and actors with “no warts,” including 24 children.
Pentacle’s cast will feature some powerhouse performers. Megan Smith, who played Cosette in Pentacle’s “Les Misérables,” is playing Mary, and Chris Owens, who played Enjolras in “Les Mis,” returns as Bert. Ann Peck McBride, radio disk jockey at KMUZ 88.5 FM, will play an evil nanny, who appears in the books.
“They are delightful. I think audiences are going to be blown away,” Johansen said. “Any time you can have an afternoon or evening spent being uplifted with what’s going on in the world, why wouldn’t you want to sit in a theater and listen to beautiful singing, watching wonderful actors portray a piece of theater that’s loved by millions?”
TRastrelli@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 983-6030, facebook.com/RastrelliSJ and on Twitter @RastrelliSJ
Mary Poppins, 'Mice and Men,' aliens headed to Pentacle
If you go
What:"Mary Poppins," with original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, book by Julian Fellowes andnew songs, music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, directed by Deborah Johansen
Where:Central High School, 1530 Monmouth St., Independence, 10 minutes from Pentacle Theater
When:7:30 p.m. Jan. 8-9and 2 p.m. Jan. 9-10
Tickets:$20 or $15 ages 17 and younger; available at Pentacle ticket office, 145 Liberty St. NE, (503) 485-4300, pentacletheatre.org
Benefit:Pentacle Theatre's general operating fund
Take the kids:Yes, family friendly
