[NEohioPAL] Berko review: MARY POPPINS (Playhouse Square/State Theatre)

[Roy Berko]

‘MARY
POPPINS,’ almost perfect in every way, flies into the State Theatre
 
Roy Berko
 
(Member,
American Theatre Critics Association)
 
--THE TIMES
NEWSPAPERS--
Lorain
County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times 
 
--coolcleveland.com—
 
“Anything
Can Happen,” ”Chim Chim Cher-ee,” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”  Honestly,
did you read those song titles and not have the tunes and words flowing through
your head?  Yes, ‘MARY POPPINS’ has come to town.  And the event is
so significant that the segment of Euclid Avenue, directly in front of the
theatre,  has been renamed Cherry Tree Lane (where nanny Mary Poppins
comes to live in the Banks’ home, the setting for the musical).
 
Mary arrived accompanied by impressive sets, exciting special
effects and very high expectations.  Opening night found a packed theatre
of adults and kids in the State Theatre to see one of the area’s most
anticipated theatrical events of the year. 
 
‘MARY
POPPINS, is a musical based on a series of children's books by P. L. Travers and a
1964 Disney film. 
The stage version features the film's music and lyrics by the Academy Award winning Sherman Brothers, along
with additional tunes by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
As Ian (9),
one of the Kid Reviewers, who I bring along to give the youngster’s view of
child friendly productions, stated, “This isn’t exactly like the movie.” 
He’s right, songs have been added, special effects like statues that come to
life have been created, and some scenes have been dropped.
 
The amazing
visual image--Mary flying over the heads of the audience up to the level of the
balcony; Bert dancing vertically up the side of the proscenium arch, hanging
upside down as he moved across the bottom side of the arch, then down the other
side; a lark being set free by Mary to fly over the heads of the audience, and
the chimney sweeps dancing on the roofs of houses, all add to the awe-factor. 
It’s those special moments that make this, the live version, superior and more
involving than the movie.
 
Don’t go
expecting to see an enduring musical.  As Alex (13) the other Kid Reviewer
said, “The plot isn’t great, but the music and the lyrics and the production
qualities, are.”  Without the gimmicks, the script doesn’t hold well.
 The first act drags a little.  The second act is the fun of a giant
amusement park ride!
 
The
Cleveland presentation, which is the first stop on the show’s national tour, is
well done.  The cast includes the two lead actors from the Broadway
version. 
 
Ashley
Brown, who Clevelanders saw in the world premiere of the national tour of
‘ON THE RECORD,’ is wonderful as Mary.  Brown has a lovely voice and much
stage presence.  Some may be surprised because she is not the warm and
fuzzy nanny that some imagine.  As written in the books, she is a very
structured woman, who has the whimsy and creativity to let a spoon full of
sugar make the medicine go down.  Mary Poppins is explained in the song
“Practically Perfect” and that’s the character Brown presents.
 
Gavin Lee,
a Brit who plays Bert, is delightful.  He lights up the stage each time he
smiles.  His dancing and singing are high quality.  His “Step in
Time,” was one of the many show stoppers.  Other crowd pleasers were,
“Jolly Holiday” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” which turned into a
sing-along with the words written on a front curtain.
 
“Feed the
Bids,” was tenderly delivered by Mary VanArsdel. 
 
The boys
gave the show an 8 out of 10, making it pretty high on their “like” list. 
They both agreed that “girls will probably like it better than boys, but boys
will like all the fly and theatrics.”
 
CAPSULE
JUDGEMENT:   Go see ‘MARY POPPINS’ for the sheer joy of the music,
the production shticks and the feel good quality.  You’ll leave smiling
and knowing that you have seen a show that was staged with audience pleasure in
mind.
 
Tickets,
for the show that runs through August  9, can be ordered by calling
216-241-6000 or going to www.playhousesquare.org.   
Stagings are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday evening at 6:30,
Saturday matinee at 1:30pm and Sunday matinee at 1:00pm.
 
 
Roy Berko's
blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2009, as well
as his consulting and publications information, can be found at
http://royberko.info
 
His reviews can also be found on
www.coolcleveland.com and NeOHIOpal (to subscribe visit
http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.)