Photo from the Mary Poppins USA Facebook page
It sounds trite, but if you like “Mary Poppins” the classic movie, you’ll love “Mary Poppins” the musical, which is at Fair Park’s Music Hall now through March 30.
I’ll admit, I was hesitant. I mean, we’re talking about Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke singing some of the best songs in movie-musical history, not to mention all kinds of cinematic magic that had to be cutting edge when the movie premiered in 1964. (To this day, when I enter a messy room, I sometimes snap my fingers. Just in case.)
The musical, recreated for the stage in 2006 (and co-created by Julian Fellowes, for those of you who are Downton Abbey fans), loosely follows the classic movie’s storyline, basing its script on both the movie and the children’s books by P.L. Travers. The musical uses most of the music from the movies, but takes liberties with the songs and the character development. Two of the most popular songs, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Step In Time,” are spectacular to watch live. The former has an accompanying spelling dance that I’m a bit surprised hasn’t become a YouTube phenomenon. The latter includes a ceiling dance by Con O’Shea-Creal, playing Bert, that blew me away.
Other favorites — “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Jolly Holiday,” “Feed the Birds” and “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” — also are incorporated into the musical. The two songs most noticeably absent, at least from my perspective, were “I Love to Laugh” (understandably, a nightly tea party on the ceiling would not be feasible) and “Stay Awake,” a fabulous tongue-in-cheek lullaby. A bedtime song added to the musical, “Playing the Game,” may have been the worst scene, with life-sized teddy bears and dolls scaring Jane and Michael (and the children in the audience, no doubt) into being kind to their toys.
Speaking of children, little girls were sitting on almost every row I saw and seemed delighted by the show, though the younger ones were sleeping on their mothers’ and fathers’ shoulders by the time the musical ended after 10 p.m. I have a 3-year-old and don’t think she’s quite old enough to follow the stage production, but if she were 5, I would definitely take her. Probably to a matinee.
The major movie-to-musical plot differences had to do with the character development of Mr. and Mrs. Banks. In her case, instead of the superficial feminism portrayed in the movie, we see a mother and wife grappling with her roles, and trying to figure out how to love both herself and her family. In his case, we’re given the history of how Mr. Banks became Mr. Banks, and, not surprisingly, it’s because of the “holy terror” of a nanny who raises him. This extra layer of psychology provides a treat for contemporary audiences, who love these kinds of background stories.
Another treat is the addition of the song “Anything Can Happen,” one of those good old-fashioned, uplifting, crescendo-ing show closers. The musical’s closing scenes easily trump the movie’s; even diehard fans can admit that the long stretch of grim scenes at the bank are not fun to watch. Plus, I’m a sucker for the kind of cheery wit in the “Anything Can Happen” refrain: “If you reach for the stars/ All you get are the stars/ But we’ve found a whole new spin/ If you reach for the heavens/ You get the stars thrown in.”
There are 13 more performances between now and next Saturday, including three matinees. Dallas Summer Musicals also is offering student rush tickets for select performances next week, which means students can show their ID and purchase unsold seats an hour before the show for $25 a piece. This is a great deal for a show that’s practically perfect.
