KAYSVILLE — Mary Poppins is flying onto the Hopebox Theatre stage directed by Addie Holman and delivers familiarity, warmth, and humanity. Mary Poppins the musical uses music by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman from the 1964 Disney film adaptation with new music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The book is by Julian Fellowes and reimagines the context for many of the film’s original songs. The story remains centered on George and Winifred Banks, their children Jane and Michael, and the perfect nanny Mary Poppins whose arrival influences them for good. As noted in previous reviews, the musical adaptation departs from the award-winning film making this adaptation distinct for the stage.
Mary Poppins is a large, spectacle-filled show with many musical numbers, dancing, physical effects, numerous settings, and a large cast of characters. It needs spectacle to feel cohesive because the driving energy of the first act is escalating wonder in reaction to the adventures Jane and Michael are brought to by Mary and Bert via Mary’s magical abilities. Key story beats related to George Bank’s growth are left to the second act where George and Winnifred can act to bigger developments in their stories. In selecting Mary Poppins, Hopebox makes an ambitious choice, but the production misses this high bar for engagement. The space and company abilities feel out of sync with the demands of the show’s design.
A mixture of technical effects is used to present the magic of Mary Poppins, including practical illusions. These illusions demonstrate Mary’s magical abilities with a snap of her fingers including when a table is magically repaired, a cake transforms, and toys come to life. Some of the magic was diminished when those snaps were not timed perfectly and a cabinet element failed to work. Mary’s magic carpet bag is still larger than it may appear. However, director Holman stages this scene in the stage’s far back corner to perform the illusion which limits the effectiveness because of the distance from the audience. This is the first moment the children and audience witness Mary’s magic, which should then escalate into continued wonder at her abilities. This staging dampens the overall effect compared to potentially blocking this moment front center stage.
In accomplishing transition between numerous settings, the Hopebox production team utilizes a blend of set pieces and photo-realistic projections to easily transition between settings. Set designer Rob Campbell creates a physical space using a soft, colorful chalk design on the exterior edges fading into a stark white center serving as the canvas for projections by designer Spencer Bawden. The stage’s front corner is painted like a cobblestone walking path overlayed with a hand-drawn chalk motif. This approach does allow for clearly recognizable settings and efficient set changes but the projection’s photorealism outweighs the chalk’s softer ambiance, feeling more utilitarian than theatrical.
One of the key foundations working for this production is Amber Ethington as Mary Poppins who is marvelous in the title role. Ethington balances the iconic standard of the character with a unique flair. Ethington plays with the fourth wall boundary bringing the audience in on the magic and the jokes. After all, most are aware a “spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Ethington performs Mary confidently and gracefully, giving the production a strong foundation. Additionally, Ethington sings beautifully with a playful soprano voice prompting me to almost sing along with “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercali…”. The highlight musically was the musical duel “Brimstone and Treacle” (Part 2) where Laura Crossett playing the dreadful Miss Andrews matches the tone and quality of Ethington’s voice creating tension between the two nannies. Crossett and Ethington prove a formidable singing matchup in this duel of philosophies and their musical competence is stunning to hear.
As Jane and Michael Banks, young cast members Hana Rentz and Elijah Packer performed the sibling bond well especially considering Rentz was substituting in the Silver Cast for this performance. Packer and Rentz are appropriately awed and enchanted by Mary Poppins magic which helps the practical illusions feel believable.
The best physical humor and comedy comes from the Banks servants- Meredith Carlson playing Mrs. Brill and Samuel Shelton playing Robertson Ay. In the compact black box space of the Hopebox, Carlson was engaging as the no-nonsense maid contrasted with Shelton bumbling around as the houseboy. Their interactions delighted particularly when Brill needed to address Ay or any other Banks family members.
Bert, played by Cory Dahl, functions as an all-seeing narrator for the piece informing the audience through multiple refrains of “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. Dahl’s highlight is leading the chimney sweeps in “Step-In-Time” and the number is fun and energetic with choreography by Kate Erickson. Using hand movements for “Supercali…” effectively works well for a large cast musical number. The dancing in “Jolly Holiday” and “Precision and Order” was not as polished and there were several moments of out-of-sync choreography.
The ensemble does deliver excellent vocal performances for combined musical numbers, with credit to music director Larisa Stewart, which have precise and lovely harmonies, particularly “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” and the finale “Anything Can Happen”.
The humanity of Mary Poppins is a “practically perfect” blend with the mission of the Hopebox Theatre. A community member battling cancer, Lee Ann Beard, is the production’s Wall of Hope recipient and receives proceeds from fundraising efforts through ticket sales and other donations. Beard is recognized throughout the show’s design, for example, the bank is named “Lee Ann Beard Fidelity”. The cast closed the evening’s performance by expressing their love and admiration for Beard and family, who attended opening night.
Mary Poppins at the Hopebox Theatre brings the quintessential nanny and the Banks family to the stage. This production shines best when featuring the film’s original numbers and in Amber Ethington’s performance as Mary Poppins. The production’s technical elements are straightforward though falling short of the show’s full spectacle, leaving the thinness of the script more apparent. What does work is the simple joys and joviality of the Mary Poppins characters and the show’s thematic fit with the charitable mission of the Hopebox Theatre.
