Review: 5 Stars for Mary Poppins at The Bristol Hippodrome
Posted on: 16 Nov 2024Mary Poppins the Musical: Practically Perfect in Every Way
On a crisp November night, it was an absolute joy to step into the sparkling, nostalgic world of Mary Poppins, brought to life by producer Cameron Mackintosh in tandem with Disney.
As a 1964 Mary Poppins loyalist (and a huge Julie Andrews fan), I was a little apprehensive about this iteration, but I needn’t have worried. The cast and crew have clearly poured every ounce of energy into making this as slick, charming and immersive as the original motion picture.
I’m not sure words can do the set justice, with so many evocative scene changes, props and beautiful backdrops — let alone the occasional element of seemingly impossible magic. The dollhouse concept proves delightfully versatile throughout, and in the opening act, it successfully conjures the quintessentially English home on Cherry Tree Lane, in Victorian London.
We meet Mr and Mrs Banks (Michael D. Xavier and Lucie-Mae Sumner) in crisis, with their latest nanny having fled the incorrigibly naughty Jane and Michael (Katie Ryden and Charlie Donald). To try and entice someone suitably indulgent, the children write their own advertisement for a nanny, and shortly afterwards Mary Poppins descends — armed with both carpet bag and umbrella.
Thus begins a technicolour adventure, led by Mary (Stefanie Jones) and Bert (Jack Chambers), through parks where statues walk and talk, to shops where conversation can be bought, and even to the bank, to see their austere father in his element. The moral of this adventure is clear: spend time with your loved ones, you’re lucky to have them.
I was instantly relieved to find that Jones had all the effortless poise, vocal clarity and subtle sass you’d hope for in a Mary, while Chambers brought a physical comedy so lithe and fluid it felt reminiscent of Donald O’Connor in Singin’ in the Rain. At one point, Chambers pulls off something so spectacularly unlikely that even the most cynical and reluctant in the room were utterly gobsmacked (four words: tap dancing upside down!).
Accompanied by a fantastic orchestra under the direction of Isaac McCullough, the musical numbers included all the hits. There was a glorious extended version of the iconic ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’, more than one reprise of ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ and the melancholic ‘Feed the Birds’, with dreamy vocals from Patti Boulaye. And while I was a little sad about the omission of ‘Sister Suffragette’ and ‘Stay Awake’, I thoroughly enjoyed the addition of several new numbers — particularly ‘Practically Perfect’, and then later ‘Brimstone and Treacle’ — special shoutout to Wendy Ferguson as the delectably hateable villain Mrs Andrew.
Lastly, I want to give credit to the comedic duo made up of Mrs Brill (Rosemary Ashe) and Robertson Ay (Ruairidh McDonald). These two formed the household staff at Cherry Tree Lane, and brought easy laughs with every appearance they made.
Long story short — take your kids, parents and pals to see Mary Poppins for an evening of blissful escapism and contagious joy. Tickets start at £15 and the show is on until Saturday 30th November. Get tickets here.
Article by:
Alys is a full-time copywriter, avid reader and podcast enthusiast currently based in Henleaze. As a recent transplant from the North, she’s keen to explore everything the South West has to offer, but is especially interested in exploring the food, art and culture scene in Bristol.
