Like all of us Mary Poppins was blown off course by Storm Éowyn on the 24th January, but thankfully her trusty umbrella brought her safely back to Festival Theatre once the wind changed.
The audience for the Festival Theatre matinee performance on Sunday 27th was full to the brim of very excited young fans dressed in Mary’s iconic blue outfit – she may not be a Disney princess but this no nonsense nanny clearly has the power to inspire a new generation of fans.
The musical is its own take on the P.L Travers story- not a copy of the film. If you are a fan who has watched the film over and over it might be hard not to compare and contrast the two. There will be some beloved scenes missing, but there are plenty of the iconic songs from the much beloved film and young and old fans won’t be able to help being swept up as Mary helps the children to help their parents, especially Mr Banks, heal from wounds dealt by neglectful parents and a terrifying nanny- played by Opera singer Wendy Ferguson.
Whether she was singing, dancing, laying down the law or simply turning a disapproving look on a fellow cast member Stefanie Jones was a practically perfect fit for Mary Poppins. Jones carries the story of the mysterious nanny who arrives to help the Banks family beautifully and her aerial feats are breathtaking – though of course being Mary Poppins she does not get a hair out of place doing them.
Jane and Michael Banks are of course the center of everything, and I was very impressed by the young performers. For me the performer who shone throughout the show was Lucie-May Sumner – playing Winifred Banks, the matriarch of the family much in need of knitting together. I enjoyed her character’s journey; from a dutiful wife attempting to host afternoon tea for the ‘right’ kind of people, resulting in chaos in the kitchen with the ‘help’ of staff and children, to finding her voice and bringing her family together.
The different parts of a show are all of course in service to each other – performers, special effects, orchestra, but I have to make special mention of the sets for Mary Poppins – I thought they were brilliant. The way the different parts of the Banks house were brought to life was pure stage magic.
Walking out of the theatre into the rain I had a momentary wish that I had purchased the parrot-headed umbrella on sale, but I was happy enough with the tunes running on repeat in my head.
Mary Poppins runs until 15th February 2025. Ticket courtesy of Capital Theatres.