Musical, ‘Mary Poppins,’ hits B-OPS stage this Friday, Saturday evening; Friday afternoon senior citizen matinee
It is “Super-nanny” to the rescue in one of the most favorite fantasy musicals of all time, Mary Poppins. Mary, Bert, the Banks family – and rest of the cast of characters – will bring the story, based on a series of eight children’s books by P. L. Travers, to the Butterfield-Odin Public School (B-OPS) stage, courtesy of the Butterfield-Odin Public High School (B-OHS) Drama Department.
Curtain times are Friday evening, April 24 and Saturday evening, April 25, at 7 p.m. each night. Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $4 for students and children under age five are admitted free. There will also be a free senior citizen matinee performance on Friday, April 24, at 12:45 p.m. Performances will be held on-stage in the school’s gymnasium.
The storyline of Mary Poppins focuses around an English magic nanny named Mary Poppins who comes to work for a cold banker’s unhappy family. Mary flies in with her umbrella in response to the request of the Banks children to make their home a happy home – and proceeds to put things right – with the aid of her rather extraordinary magical powers. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London, and into the Banks’s household to care for their children.
From that point, encounters with sweeps, shopkeepers and various adventures follow until – with a happier father, Mr. Banks and less preoccupied mother, Mrs. Banks, at home, Mary abruptly “pops-out.”
With her work done, Mary flies away with Bert bidding her farewell, telling her not to stay away too long.
Well-known songs from the musical include, among others, “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “I Love to Laugh,” “Feed the Birds,” “Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, ” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,”and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”
Taking the lead roles in the production will be a duo of young talent, freshman Julie Saunders as Mary Poppins and eighth-grader Ethan Sykes in the role of Bert the Chimney Sweep.
Directing the production is Lisa Shellum, with Sarah Cartwright as musical director.
* Check back for a complete listing of cast and crew.
