Review: North Carolina Theatre's MARY POPPINS

Based on P.L. Travers’ children’s novels as well as Walt Disney’s 1964 Academy Award-winning movie musical of the same name, Mary Poppins follows a nanny who arrives on the doorstep of Jane & Michael Banks. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Using a combination of magic and common sense, Mary Poppins must teach the family members how to value each other again.

This is the second time North Carolina Theatre has presented Mary Poppins following an earlier production they produced back in 2016. Some may think it’s a tad too soon to revisit this musical, but it isn’t really. There’s already a whole new generation of children getting introduced to musical theatre every day. This is a very appropriate one for them. Not only that, but there’s also some lessons that even adults can take away from it in this day and age.

Under Eric Woodall’s direction, he crafts such a colorful world on stage. Everything from Charlie Morrison’s lighting to Timothy R. Mackabee’s sets to the costumes supplied by LeGrande Smith all play a valuable role in that. There's some very magical stagecraft on display, which includes some flying sequences. Patrick O’Neill’s choreography is very lively. Especially with an impressive tap number during ‘Step in Time.’ Tonally, the whole show feels so joyful and emotional at the same time. I especially teared up during ‘Feed the Birds’ and ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite.’

Everyone in the cast truly gives it their all. Kara Lindsay, who previously played the title character in NCT’s 2016 production, returns. Her performance feels so (pardon the pub) practically perfect in every way. Anthony Wayne is wonderfully charismatic as Bert, a "jack of all trades" that serves as narrator of the story. Evie Brunelle and Cameron Lewis, who are students of the North Carolina Theatre Conservatory, both give adorable performances as Jane and Michael Banks, respectively. Sara Jean Ford is very strong and heartfelt as the matriarch of the family, Winifred Banks. Although Kevin Massey (who happens to be Kara Lindsay’s real-life husband) nails the best character arc in the whole show. In the beginning, he’s this cynical banker often away at work. Yet with the help of Mary Poppins, he manages to find happiness.

My only quibble with this production is that the pacing in Act I could’ve been tightened a bit (specially with the scene changes). Although it does get better throughout. While this wasn’t much of a problem for me, I can see some feeling that the end goes on a little longer than necessary. With that being said, NCT’s latest production of Mary Poppins is a pure ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ delight. This story is one that can really resonate more with you as you get older. Anyone feeling down and/or rotten lately should easily be put in a great mood.

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This production is currently playing at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, which is located inside the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, through July 30th. For more information, please visit: www.nctheatre.com/shows/mary-poppins

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