BWW Reviews: MARY POPPINS at BDT Stage

"Mary Poppins" is a film classic that children of all ages have enjoyed for many years. It is a lighthearted, whimsical tale of a pair of unruly children who are taught the value of order, morality, and family love by a magical nanny who floats into their lives by way of a gust of wind. I was so enamored of Mary Poppins' magic, that as a child I was convinced that singing and snapping my fingers would magically make my chores complete. Alas, things are always sweeter and brighter in Disney films. Such is the case for the stage production of Mary Poppins, which strays from the Julie Andrews version of the tale that we all grew up with from the movie. Instead, some of the darker elements from the P.L. Travers books that Mary Poppins was torn from are included in the musical, and add just the right amount of bitter to the sweetness.

The show opens with George and Winifred Banks, an upper-crust couple, and their children, Jane and Michael, who have driven away several nannies with their childhood shenanigans. Just when George and Winifred think that they have run out of suitable options for a nanny, Mary Poppins arrives to save the family. The children find a challenge in Mary's no-nonsense lessons about respect, charity, and kindness that they learn throughout a series of fantastic song-and-dance numbers, and though they cave to many of the lessons, their stubbornness to bend to Mary's authority drives her away. The household is not the same without Mary's magical presence, and her replacement, Miss. Andrew, proves to be a real witch, tormenting the entire family with her unpleasantness. Mary dashes in just in time to save the day and drive out the wicked nanny, and teaches the whole family the meaning of love.

The entire ensemble for the show delivers very high-energy performances, and the big musical numbers are truly Broadway-quality showstoppers. Tracy Warren (Mary Poppins) gives a stellar performance as the lead character, and embraces the warmth and charisma of the character, but still maintains a rigid authority over the children. Scott Beyette gives us a so-so Bert, paling in energy to the characters he is constantly surrounded by on stage, but loveable nonetheless. Amanda Earls as Miss Andrew is frightening and powerful - everything the character needs to scare the on-stage and off-stage children (the little boy at the table next to me hid when she arrived on stage). The best performances, however, were given by the ensemble of various characters, who seamlessly transformed from chimney sweeps to dancing statues, to bank executives, all while singing and dancing their hearts out to bring the true magic of the show to life.

The show is backed by a technical team of masterminds. The set design and execution alone is worth the price of admission, and the tricks and stage magic that they produced is every bit as enthralling as what the actors bring to the show. The flight system was perfectly used throughout, and added the whimsy that this show needs to really soar. Really the only faults I could find in the technical side of the show were that certain lighting choices seemed a bit off for what was going on in the scenes , and the set, while huge and beautiful, was a bit noisy during musical moments.

The show was a visual masterpiece, and the musicians and actors gave truly incredible performances. As a family show, I was surprised that the run time with intermission was almost 3 hours long, which can be a bit much for some younger children, but I was captivated the whole time. If only BDT Stage could find a way to make their pre-show meals as delicious as their shows, you'd find me there on a weekly basis!

"Mary Poppins" plays the BDT Stage May 16- September 5, 2015. 5501 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO 80303. For tickets and information contact 303-449-6000 or go online at www.bdtstage.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.