Jo Turbitt (and her 8-year-old companion) review a 'poignant, cheeky, magical' production.
It's productions like this that make our job hard: there's so much to say about the show and there's so much to say about the multitude of strands of stories, of ideas, of associations and of brilliance. I'll start with the latter.
It was halfway through the first act that I remembered something very important, quintessential in fact, about this story: Mary Poppins isn't about the nanny and it's not about the kids; Mary Poppins is about the dad. It's about adulthood and how important it is as adults that we become who we want to be and not fashioned by society. That we tell each other how much we mean to each other and that we appreciate the good things, the good people and, well, the good.
Yes, the magic and the outlook of Poppins orchestrates this celebration of the realisation of what life is all about, and the beauty and heart of this production is that it's not just Mr Banks but Mrs Banks too who is saved (and in turn, so is their family life). Milo Twomey and Rebecca Lock are fantastic as the pair who rekindle their relationship by smiling at each other again. Lock's singing is astounding and the song 'Being Mrs Banks' rooted itself deeply in my memory of the night. Mary Poppins is definitely a story which makes you take stock of your life, and Mackintosh's production is poignant, cheeky, magical and full of showbiz glamour, so that no matter which stage you're at on the road you feel touched by what you've seen.
For Georgie (my 8-year-old companion for the night), this show hit her with all it's magic, it's musicality and ‘practically perfectness’ in one mighty swoop, the way that only great musical theatre productions can do. Favourite part: ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’... And the flying... And the big umbrella... And the bit where Bert…don't worry I won't spoil it. She loved it and asked questions about it all the next day, skipping about singing the songs with a huge big grin on her face! The large-scale oomph swept her up like a good ol' fashioned chimney sweep would. Brilliant.
For me, this show has so many strengths: from its cast to it's choreography, to the production and the pizzazz. The only thing that let it down for me was the direction of the kids; Jane and Michael Banks came across as spoilt, bossy children. The Banks aren't brats and shouldn't be played like they are; they're only children who are fed up of being pushed to the side, and the only way they can get their parents to notice them is by trying to get noticed--but in a good way.
Zizi Strallen's Poppins fizzes and bubbles on stage like a glass of champagne: striking, fantastic and effortlessly elegant but with that mighty punch that makes you feel elated. Matt Lee's Bert is super-talented, slick and graceful on his feet and a great cheeky chap. The two make for a fabulous pair, both putting heart and soul into the energy of their performances. The chorus are flawless, echoing the energy of the leads, and they perform Stephen Mear's choreography with precision and a fresh oomph. 'Step In Time' is still the best tap routine to date on the stage, and this didn't disappoint.
I could go on and on and on about the spectacle that they've created here, but really you need to see it to believe it. So please do.
Mary Poppins UK tour is at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh until May 20, 2016.
RSS