The Chattanooga Theatre Centre celebrates the holidays with Mary Poppins
November is almost over, which means that Christmas is basically right around the corner. Between spending time with loved ones, shopping for the perfect gifts, the potential for a dusting of snow, and holiday activities, there are a lot of great ways to spend the season.
If you want to make your holiday season even more magical, the Chattanooga Theatre Centre has you covered with their musical production of “Mary Poppins”, which opens Friday night at 8 p.m.
“Mary Poppins” tells the story of the Banks family in 1910 London, England. Parents George and Winifred are at wits end with their children, Michael and Jane, who continuously send away nanny after nanny. However, once Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep, their nannying woes are over, and the children learn many lessons about the magic of family and how anything is possible.
The Theatre Centre’s production is directed by Scott Dunlap and features a cast of 52. The children’s ensemble, which is made up of about 30 children, is double-cast, meaning that 14 kids will appear on stage at the same time, and they rotate the ensemble for each production. The cast started rehearsals on September 28th, and Dunlap explained that it’s been quite a large—but fun—undertaking.
“It’s been an interesting show to work on. The script is fairly different than the film; it contains a lot of the songs from the film, but there are some new songs. The story is told in a slightly different order than the film, so that’s been fun and exciting to learn and craft for,” Dunlap explained.
Before it was the beloved 1964 Disney film, “Mary Poppins” was a series of eight books, written by P.L. Travers from 1934 to 1988. The stage performance encompasses aspects of both the books and the movie to make it the ultimate family experience.
“It’s based largely on the book, so it incorporates a lot of stories from the book, but it also keeps audience expectations from the film," Dunlap noted. “The parts they like and remember are still present.”
Joanna Lewis, a CTC veteran who has been performing at the Centre since 2008, plays the lead role of Mary Poppins. And, just in case you were curious, Mary will master the art of flight for the show. Lewis said this is one of the first musicals she’s acted in, but so far, it’s been a ton of fun.
“Most of what I’ve done has been non-musical, so this show is different, but I love the musical aspect of it. I’ve been doing theater since my early 20s, and I’ve just this year ventured into the musical theater realm, so it’s been a big learning process for me,” explained Lewis.
“It’s a very different animal, doing a musical instead of a non-musical. They’re both fun and amazing in different ways. I am just living my dream right now, honestly. Who doesn’t want to be Mary Poppins?”
The set for the show is exactly what you’d imagine when thinking of Mary Poppins. Lewis explained that the set itself is huge, and there are lots of moving pieces, as the scenes change from the Banks’ house, to the famous rooftop scene, the park, and more. Additionally, the set has to be adjusted to account for the flight of both Mary and Bert.
Music for the CTC’s production is directed by Michael Huseman and choreographed by Lindsay Fussell. The show will feature the big hits from the film, notably “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “A Spoonful of Sugar”.
“This is a really fantastic ensemble of people; Joanna is wonderful as Mary Poppins, and so are the actors playing the parents and the kids, and the people playing some of the roles that aren’t as big in the movie. They get a little more attention and are so enjoyable to watch,” Dunlap said. “Our Bert, Taylor Williams, has been doing a standup job. He sort of narrates the whole show, and he has to keep all that straight. They’re all working so hard.”
As far as costumes for the production go, Dunlap said the CTC is getting inspiration primarily from the film. While they’ve rented some of the costumes, they’re also making some of them in-house, such as Mary’s iconic Jolly Holiday dress. Additionally, they’re adding a few elements to make the show feel even more Chirstmassy.
“To do [this show] at Christmastime, makes it twenty times more amazing because the message and theme of it is about family and mindfulness and really being in the moment and appreciating the people in your life, your family and those that you love. It’s such a great message to put out there for the community during Christmastime,” Lewis said.
The CTC’s production of “Mary Poppins” opens Friday night at 8 p.m., and will be performed through December 22nd. The cast is taking the week off for Thanksgiving but there will be evening shows Thursdays through Saturdays and matinee shows Saturdays and Sundays.
If you’ve ever wanted a chance to experience the magic of “Mary Poppins” on stage, especially during the most magical time of the year, then you definitely don’t want to miss out on this amazing production.