š Mary Poppins
š The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TRĀ
š Friday 28th February 2025
āļø
DEMONSTRABLY DISMAL IN EVERY WAY
I am a big fan of screen to stage adaptations and when I was invited to review MARY POPPINS at Theatre Royal Plymouth I jumped at the chance to see it. Unfortunately this production left me bitterly disappointed. Everything I loved about the movie had been removed leaving a soulless show with very little redeeming features.
One of the biggest failings was the story itself. It felt like an absolute butchering of a beloved favourite and the actual character of Mary Poppins felt like she wasn't needed at all. I'm sure the outcome of the story would have been exactly the same without Mary having been a part of it. Instead of being firm the character was cold, and even verged on unlikable at times. Stefanie Jones who portrayed the iconic nanny had a pleasant enough singing voice, but seemed to spend most of her time on stage stood like a weird statue. All the grace and impish sense of humour had been stripped leaving me baffled.
Similarly the character of Bert, played by Jack Chambers, had lost all of his charm and charisma and had an accent that made Dick Van Dyke look like a born and bred cockney. His physical comedy was non existent and for me this was an epic display of a character being miscast. When the leading man is constantly outperformed by the ensemble then something is seriously wrong.
Olivia Ainsworth and Joshua Miles were good as Jane and Michael Banks but the characters had gone from loveable scamps to annoying brats. The longer the show went on I could feel myself getting more and more annoyed with what was unfolding before me, and I wasn't the only one. I could feel others around me becoming restless. For the first time ever I didn't get annoyed with people talking around me or checking their phones because I felt their pain with just how dire this production was.
Rather than paying homage to a movie that is loved by so many, it actually felt like an insult to the original. There were songs missing and their replacements were diabolically dull. Mr Banks seemed to have morphed into a sterner version of Basil Fawlty and Mrs Banks being a part of the suffragette movement was gone, thus removing the female empowerment aspect of the character which made no sense. She also had a Yorkshire accent and continually dropped her h's which was completely wrong for the character. If there was a dialect coach on this production then they desperately need replacing as a lot of the company seemed to be struggling.
Scenes and characters had been added unnecessarily throughout and I started to actually feel angry because more and more this production felt like a money making scheme rather than a credible piece of musical theatre. I assume they've tried to incorporate themes from the book, but there's a huge disconnect here and there were countless times where I was bored. With so many big names behind this production, I'm struggling to determine how they got it so wrong.
One of the words used to promote this musical is 'magical', but this seems to be a severe case of false advertising. Elements such as pulling items out of the carpet bag were effective, but other than that there was nothing. Seeing the wires which lifted Mary and Burt into the air completely destroyed the illusion of theatre and left Mary looking like she was hanging out to dry with the laundry rather than gracefully moving through the air. There are so many shows which do this sort of thing with flawless style and it's as if the creative team thought that because this production is aimed towards families with younger children then it didn't really matter. When demanding high prices for seats, this is shameful and just not good enough.
There is so much wrong with this production that I could go on and on, but there were thankfully some saving graces. I thought the set design was clever and was almost like a jigsaw puzzle with all the elements slotting together wonderfully. Because of the intricate nature of some of the set however, the filler scenes between changes felt a bit laboured, but the set design was really the star of the show for me.
The choreography was good and the ensemble danced it with fantastic ability. I enjoyed the way that they adapted 'Jolly Holiday' for the stage. Obviously losing the animated elements of the scene, they cleverly took the audience to a colourful world in stark opposition to the greyness of their surroundings.
Although a very small part, I enjoyed Patti Boulaye as the Bird Woman, with 'Feed the Birds' unexpectedly being my favourite part of the show.
Unfortunately these positives couldn't rescue this sinking ship and at almost three hours, MARY POPPINS was just too long. Boring songs and scenes seemed to be inexplicably stretched out and it almost felt like a vanity project for the creative team.
Awarding 1 star to a production is not something I do lightly - indeed the last time I gave a 1 star rating was in November 2023 - but this production was an affront to the entire musical theatre genre. If you're thinking of taking the family to see this production I would strongly recommend saving your money and waiting for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which is coming to Plymouth in May.
I wasn't expecting a carbon copy of the film, and nor would I want one but the book here is tedious and weak. All emotion has been completely removed from the story and I actually found myself laughing during act 2 because of how bad the show was.
I wanted to love MARY POPPINS but sadly this was not the case. It is worth noting that there were audience members on their feet at the end, but only about 50% of them, and it was interesting to hear my views echoed by fellow patrons as I was leaving the theatre.
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.
My ticket for this performance of Mary Poppins was gifted by the Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
CAST LIST:
Stefanie Jones as Mary Poppins; Jack Chambers as Bert; Michael D. Xavier as George Banks; Lucie-Mae Sumner as Winifred Banks; Olivia Ainsworth as Jane Banks; Joshua Miles as Michael Banks; Rosemary Ashe as Mrs Brill; Patti Boulaye as Bird Woman; Wendy Ferguson as Miss Andrew; Sharon Watts as Mrs Corry / Miss Smythe; Ruairidh McDonald as Robertson Ay; David Burrows as Admiral Boom / Bank Chairman; Jay Luca Allan as Adonis; Rhys Batten as Adonis; Ben Culleton as Vicar; Jasmine Davis as Nymph; Matthew Dawkins as Gardener; Nathan Elwick as Borthbrook / Policeman; Darcy Finden as Gwendoline; Lyndsey Gardiner as Nanny; Emma Harold as Katy Nanna; Billy Mahoney as Valentine; Sarah-Marie Maxwell as Spinster; Yujin Park as Neleus; Henry Rhodes as Pan; Jacob Ritzema as Ernest; Scarlet Roche as Nymph; Charlie Waddell as Gardener; Rachael Ward as Miss Lark; James Wolstenholme as Von Hussler / Park Keeper; Ellie Young as Nymph
RUNNING TIME (approx):
2 hours 50 minutes, with no interval
AGE RECOMMENDATION:
7 +
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