Mary Poppins live...

Last night a friend and I went to see a live production of one of my favorite Disney movies of all time...Mary Poppins! The show was truly magical and so well done. I just love local theatre shows and am so thankful we have the wonderful Everett Performing Arts Center nearby.

This live production show put on by the Village Theatre is not an exact replication of the Disney movie, but many of the key elements are the same. As Gale Fiege of the Everett Herald said,

 As the song goes, it's “Practically Perfect.” In many ways.Village Theatre's production of “Mary Poppins” — as good as one might see on New York's Broadway or in London's West End — is a blend of the P.L. Travers stories, the 1964 Walt Disney movie and additional stuff by famed producer Cameron Mackintosh and Julian Fellowes, the creator of “Downton Abbey.”

I thought the actress (Cayman Ilika) who played Mary Poppins was practically perfect...as was Bert, Jane and Michael, and Mr. and Mrs. Banks. A delightfully fun character was Mrs. Brill (Laura Kenney)...the cook and maid...just loved her!

Perhaps the story of Mary Poppins is special to me because it was the first movie we saw in the United States after returning from five years in Brasil. We flew into Miami, spent a couple days at the beach, and then headed to see my mother's family in Minnesota. As we met our cousins at a family reunion at Lake Ottertail, I heard one of them, Christy, singing this really crazy song, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"...whatttttt? She told us all about the movie that had come out recently and began to teach us all the songs, which she had already memorized! We soon got a hold of the LP record and listened to the original score, sung by Julie Andrews and Dick VanDyke. By the time we finally got to see the movie, my sisters and I knew all the songs! 

When I think back to that summer, the story and songs from Mary Poppins are a part of my warm memories. Wasn't it fascinating to learn some of the back story of how this movie came about from the movie Saving Mr. Banks that came out in 2013? Anyway, the words to some of those songs just pop into my mind every once in a while, like "With every job that must be done there is an element of fun," and "I love to laugh, loud and long and clear," and "Let's go fly a kite, and send it soaring." And the line, "practically perfect in every way" is just a gem! I could go on and on! 

If you live near the Everett area, I strongly encourage you to go see the Village Theatre production of Mary Poppins, playing through Feb 8. You will leave singing and humming and walking with a little skip in your step. I guarantee it!