Yes, it was that good.
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| everybody loves Mary |
After West End and Broadway Mary Poppins finally came to Australia last year in July, and she flies out of Melbourne on April 1. Then she lands in Sydney and closes her umbrella for who knows how long. She was so popular here that they had to extend the show time. Which was a good thing, because it gave people time to convince me that I should go!
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| the Banks family |
I went to a Wednesday matinee, and then a Sunday night performance, at the beautiful Her Majesty's Theatre here in Melbourne.
This was the first ever musical I've seen live at a theatre so I'm not going to rate it, compare it, or even review it. Plenty of qualified people have done that! Emphasis on qualified.
But for goodness' sake - go see it! It's great!
Musical Checklist by The Mouse:
for your convenience
- Music = live orchestra in the pit under the stage do a fantastic job
- Sets = quaint, detailed, and very movable
- Costumes = Mary steals the show. People should always wear red coats and carry parrot-topped umbrellas
- Choreography = flawless as far as I could tell. everyone moving around in perfect time - it's almost mesmerizing. actually I think I was mesmerised.
- Story = interesting, pulls the heartstrings, and you don't really know what is going to happen next (if you try really hard to forget the movie)
- Songs = catchy and cute, and I really mean catchy. I still find myself singing them when I'm in the shower or doing the dishes. they're cute because every second word manages to be nonsense, and yet it still makes sense. am I making sense?
- Message = all good stories should have some sort of message, and I think that counts for musicals too. and this one doesn't disappoint.
on the rooftops of London
Highlights of the show? in case you don't get to see it
~ the stage moving around. Maybe I'm a little strange, but watching houses fold up like cardboard boxes and chairs slide across the stage (on invisible wheels) was fascinating!
~ the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious song (any spelling errors are typos I swear). It was so good they had to do it twice.
~ the new song written just for this production: 'Practically Perfect'
cont. below
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| that super-something-istic song |
~ parrot head umbrella
~ Bert "a man of many professions"
~ expressions on the face of a perfect nanny
~ sparkly stars and said nanny flying
and that's all I'm going to say.
Oh, and Bert was my favourite.
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If you are thinking of seeing it here in Melbourne before the show ends, then you better be quick. Tickets are selling fast, and every show is a full house.
A week before each showing 'restricted view' seats go up for sale at only $30, but you may only be able to get one or two.
They also sell limited tickets at the door, prior to each show.
A question I had: Are restricted view seats worth the cheap price?
Well, the first time I went I had B reserve seats which are a little pricey. They gave me a very nice front on view of the stage and only had to bend forward once or twice to see flying objects (and Mary).
The second time we went for restricted view seats so as not to completely break the bank. They're fine, really. If the performers go up a level in the sets, then you can't really see them. The flying parts are completely obliterated, but that doesn't effect the story. The side on view is a little annoying, since the choreography is probably meant to be seen front on.
But for $30 you can't complain!
Go to http://www.disney.com.au/marypoppins for more info or to buy tickets.
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