Review: DISNEY AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH'S MARY POPPINS at Newton Community Theatre: A Jolly Trip to Cherry Tree Lane

This last weekend, I had the joy of taking a trip to Cherry Tree Lane to see Newton Community Theatre's production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's "Mary Poppins. It's always fun to take a trip to a theatre that I have never been to before to see how the take and mold a show together. While this production might not have been "Practically Perfect", it is truly a "Jolly Holiday" seeing this show.

There are a few "spoonful's of sugar" that help the audience to enjoy this production. The first is the projections used during the show. I'm not sure where they found them but they helped transport us to the many of the magical places that Mary Poppins takes the kids to. My favorite projections were the projection at the top of the show and the projection they used for the bank.

Another "Spoonful" was how welcoming the group is. I enjoyed seeing how many people involved the out of the show were from outside of Newton. This included some of the cast members who traveled 30 minutes to an hour to be involved with the show.

My biggest issue with the show is how the father, George Banks is portrayed. He came off more as a villain in the show instead of a person who is troubled from his childhood. The reason that is an issue to me, is that we learn about the horrible Miss Andrew, the true villain of the show in Act 2. One of the things I have learned to love about the Mary Poppins stories as I've grown older, is that it is the adults in the stories who need her most.

With the show, there are some truly magical elements that make this production a treat to see. The first is the Banks' House. I was impressed with how it was built in a way that they had pieces that could be turned to be the living room, the nursery, or the kitchen of the house. The treat to me with this was that it wasn't noticeable until they were transitioning from Step in Time on the roof tops back to the Banks' house.

Another magical part of the show are Annie Foskett and Michael Howland as Mary Poppins and Bert. Annie had great timing when it came to reacting. Every time something magical or out of the ordinary happened, it was played as though it was an everyday occurrence to her Poppins. I also appreciated that she played a softer, kinder Poppins than I had seen in the past. The portrayal brought a new dimension to the character that I had not thought of before.

Having worked with Michael Howland in the past it didn't surprise me to see him giving his everything to his portrayal of Bert. It is a thrill to watch him, because he doesn't act the role, he becomes the role. It makes the show fun to watch, as it seems Bert is enjoying these adventures as much as the children are. It makes it even more heartbreaking at the end of the show when he realizes it's time for Mary Poppins to leave.

So I would recommend heading to Newton to see their production of Mary Poppins. It's a fun production that everyone in the family will enjoy. Performances continue March 12 and March 14-16 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for youth. For more information, visit www.newtontheatre.com or call 641-792-1230.

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