Review: Mary Poppins is Practically Perfect at Milton Keynes Theatre
Spectacular Mary Poppins has flown into Milton Keynes for four weeks and this show is Practically Perfect in every way.
Press night was Friday. It may have been Halloween, but this was no horror show, instead we were treated to thrills aplenty as the magical story came to life on the stage.
Since its premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome in 2004, the stage adaptation of Mary Poppins has gone on to record-breaking productions around the world, gaining over 50 major international awards.
Based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, the tale of the world’s favourite nanny arriving on Cherry Tree Lane can't fail to have you entranced.
There are countless lavish musical numbers all featuring brilliant choreography – such as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Let’s Go Fly A Kite, A Spoonful of Sugar, and Practically Perfect (referring, of course, to Mary Poppins, and, it could be said, Stefanie Jones’ spot-on portrayal of her).
The Banks family have been through countless nannies – none seem to last very long as the children Jane and Michael have proven to be a bit of a handful.
But then Mary Poppins answers an advert written by the kids that the family hasn’t even placed in the paper yet – a prelude to the chaos and magic she will bring to the household.
Those magical moments begin when she settles in and unpacks. We’re left to wonder how a large plant and hatstand appeared out of her relatively small travel bag. She also clicks her fingers to turn on the lights, can get a room to tidy itself up – oh and she might just fly like a kite once or twice during the show too!
The sets are simply magnificent, and it’s astounding how quickly they’re interchanged – one moment we’re in the family’s home and seconds later the local park.
The story pulls at the heart strings too. It’s a rather sad tale of how a father is too busy to spend time with his children or show them, or his wife, any affection – all stemming from the stress of his job at the bank and the ogre of a nanny he had as a child growing up – aka Miss Andrew.
When Mary Poppins departs briefly, the monstorous Miss Andrew is employed in her place, but fun is replaced by an iron fist rule – she punishes disobiedence with her Brimstone and Treacle disgusting concoction.
Miss Andrew becomes a bit of a pantomime villain and Wendy Ferguson was excellent in the role – the wickedness levels and soprano voice were off the charts – the latter hilariously causing the cast to seemingly vibrate!
Thankfully Mary Poppins returns to banish her and fix the family before it falls apart.
You really couldn’t fault any of the cast. Michael D Xavier as the stressed and emotionless George Banks and Lucie-Mae Sumner as his long-suffering wife Winifred excelled, as did Rosemary Ashe (Mrs Brill) and Ruairidh McDonald (Roberston Ay). Poor Bert (Jack Chambers) spends most of the show trying to catch get a kiss off Mary Poppins. He brings real energy to proceedings, none more so than when he flips the world of tap dancing on its head with an extraordinary performance.
The Banks children are played brilliantly by young stars Connie Jones (Jane) and Oli Manning (Michael). They really have perfected their roles, whether they’re being obnoxious, stubborn, smug, cheeky, or showing a softer side as their characters mellow as the show progresses.
Mary Poppins runs until Saturday, November 22. It’s simply superb, in fact it’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Book your tickets now at ATGTICKETS.COM/MiltonKeynes