BWW Interviews: Mary Poppins' Rachel Wallace Lands in Toronto

Mary Poppins flies into Toronto this weekend, having her official opening night tomorrow at The Princess of Wales Theatre. The show marks the first collaboration between Disney and Cameron Mackintosh. The show has received critical raves since opening on both Broadway and London's West End, and Mirvish Productions brings it to Toronto this winter for a limited nine week run.

Mary Poppins has four productions currently running on three continents and is one of the biggest stage musical successes in recent years. It has all the songs you know and love from the classic Julie Andrews film, plus takes material from the beloved Pamela Travers books to further flesh out the story of the "practically perfect" nanny and her relationship with the Banks family.

BWW is thrilled to be covering the production's Toronto run, including interviews with the cast and fun photo coverage of them as they enjoy all that Toronto has to offer (including of course, Tim Hortons and the Maple Leafs). Today we speak to Rachel Wallace, who plays the title role:

Congratulations on Mary Poppins! You went from understudying the lead role to now doing it full-time - what has it been like taking on the role eight shows a week?

It has been a tremendous learning opportunity. Aside from the thrill of having a dream come true it has been great to learn how to figure out how to keep my body able to do what it needs to do consistently for eight shows a week. Plus audiences are different everywhere we go so you learn how to share the show with a different and new audience in each tour stop. For example, we went from Texas to Chicago and it was like night and day. In Texas they were really loud and boisterous and involved and in Chicago they were much more reserved. It's fascinating and I'm very curious to see what Toronto will be like. If you're as friendly as you are in person I'm sure you will be just as friendly in large groups!

As you've traveled from city to city have you found that it has been consistently audiences of all ages enjoying the production?

Absolutely! Parents may be buying tickets because they think this is something that they can take their kids to see and then they walk out realizing they really enjoyed it too! And there are moments in the show where adults get to feel like kids again because there is such incredible stuff happening on the stage. So everyone really gets to have moments where their jaws drop. And if we haven't won you over by the time we do "Step in Time" that will do it!

What is the biggest thing that sets the stage show apart from the classic film?

Well, it's not just the film on stage. It is a combination of Pamela Travers' books and the classic film. So you get to meet some new characters that weren't in the film and that's pretty special. You really don't have to have seen the film or read the books to enjoy this production. However, if you love the books and the film you will find something new to love in our production! I feel that it pays beautiful homage to the stories because we get to flesh out the characters more than they did in the film, so I think that Travers would also be pleased.

In the books the character of Mary Poppins is very different than Julie Andrews played her in the film. How do you find a middle ground?

Well, what's really cool is that there's so much beautiful spectacle in this show and our book is written by Julian Fellowes who is an Academy Award winning screenwriter so we have a really intelligent and witty book to work with. When you are handed something like this incredible book that has had so many incredible actresses in the past you just have to go back to the basics. Go back to the script and the score and make it your own.

And do you find it intimidating knowing so many amazing women have played the role before you?

Well the cool answer would be to say it's simply a great challenge, but of course I find it intimidating! When you love and care about something as much as most actors care about this show, and you've seen such incredible ladies take on the role, it's very scary to get up there and make it your own. And I really believe that the surest way to fail is to copy what you've already seen. Obviously you are always borrowing from things that you have seen and loved but you have to make it your own. And I think the people who cast this show did a great job and they want us to be ourselves and that's a huge gift. They trust us enough to make it our own and that is a blessing.

The show is co-produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney - have they had much involvement in the touring production?

Well I haven't worked directly with them in the ten months I've been on the tour, but I will say that it's pretty rare to have two such individual powerhouse producers working together on something which makes this show really special. And I do know from the directors that I have worked with that they were really involved from the very beginning as the show is a passion project for both of them. Cameron actually has the rights from Pamela Travers which is the only reason she agreed to let this production happen in the first place. Everyone involved has their own experience with the story and I think that feeds right into the production. Shows can be made or broken by people's commitments to the piece and I think that in this one everyone is incredibly committed.

There are currently four productions running worldwide - is there any friendly rivalry between the casts?

You know, I don't really know! But I actually grew up in the Netherlands and so when I found out there was a Dutch production I went on a bit of a YouTube binge and watched all the clips from it. It's was a lot of fun watching ‘supercalifragilistic' in Dutch!

You will be spending Christmas in Toronto with a cast that is made up of a lot of Canadians - do they seem eager to educate you on everything our great city has to offer?

I'm sure they will be! The nature of touring is hard in that we really do live out of a suitcase and don't have much time to get excited or prepared for any upcoming cities. But I do know that the wonderful Canadians in this production are very excited to share their home with us, so I anticipate a lot of moments of "ooh, you have to go here" and "you must eat here!" It'll be a lot of fun.

It must be hard being away from home for the holidays though. Will you get to go back home for Christmas?

Actually I'm closer to home on this stop of the tour than I have been anywhere else! I'm from Rochester, NY so I'm practically Canadian! I won't get to go home for the holidays but my family is going to be able to come see the production which is a great honour and a wonderful gift.

Were you a fan of the film growing up and how surreal is it stepping into the lead role now that you're a grown up?

Of course I was a fan of the film! And it is totally surreal. I literally have to wake up everyday and figure out how I'm going to feel close to this character. She's just so infallibly perfect...or "practically perfect in every way." We really hang on to the "practically" part because we definitely don't feel perfect every day.

When you play a role like this eight shows a week for a long stretch of time sometimes it becomes tempting to start ‘phoning it in' ... how do you prevent yourself from doing that?

Well really you just know that you can't, and that you never should. I'm lucky with this show though because it is written so well that you just can't help but be sincere. And I genuinely love the people I'm on stage with so much that if I'm starting to zone out or having a bad day, all I need to do is make eye contact with one of them and it grounds me again. It is the same if I can just look out into the audience, there are so many little faces eager to hear the story that you just can't help but feed off that energy.

Finally, we have a couple of quick Twitter questions for you from fans of the show...

Does a spoonful of sugar REALLY help the medicine go down?

Ya! Of course it does! In just about every way. With this role for example you take the challenges of the part because of the incredible opportunities it offers.

And were you inspired to become an actor after seeing Julie Andrews in the original film?

I think seeing Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins and also in the Sound of Music was one of the main reasons I fell in love with acting. Her and Barbra Streisand!

When and Where?
Mary Poppins

The Princess of Wales Theatre

Now on Stage through to Jan 8th 2012

Performance Schedule:
Tue- Sat 7:30PM
Wed, Sat & Sun 2PM

No performances: Dec 24, 7.30PM; Dec 25, 2PM Added performance on Thu Dec 22, 2PM

Tickets run from $49.50 to $185 and can be purchased in person at the box office, by phone at 416-872-1212 or online at www.mirvish.com/marypoppins

Photo by Racheal McCaig Photography

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