PREVIEW
Mary Poppins Jr.
Phoenix Tales Productions
Feb. 21 and 22 at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Arden Theatre
5 St. Anne Street
Tickets: $15 at door
Children’s favourite nanny makes a comeback as Phoenix Tales Productions mounts Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins Jr.
Directed by Michael Paruby and a talented production team that includes set designer Dante Politicchio as well as costume designers Justice Matt and Sarah Karpyshin, the musical runs Feb. 21 and 22 at the Arden Theatre.
Unlike school productions, this independent company features a high-energy cast of 20 Grade 7 to 10 students drawn from seven St. Albert high schools and junior high schools.
“We’re super happy. We want a nice mix,” said Paruby.
Clocking in at about 75 minutes, jack-of-all trades Bert takes us to London’s Cherry Tree Lane circa 1910 where we meet the Banks family. The unhappy foursome is completely in disarray.
The father, George Banks, is consumed by work at the bank and the little time he spends at home demands precision and order. Mrs. Banks is anxious about living up to her husband’s societal demands while children Jane and Michael are little hooligans constantly antagonizing their nannies. In the past four months, six nannies have come and gone.
Magic or no, when Mary Poppins mysteriously arrives at the door, she has her work cut out in healing this fractious family. But with Bert’s help, Mary Poppins brings the family closer together with an inspiring message summed up as “anything can happen if you let it.”
“Musical Theatre International released this great junior musical last year at the tail end of when we were producing Beauty and the Beast. It’s a fantastic Disney family favourite. It’s a high quality show and it’s aligned with the core values of this company,” Paruby added.
Emma Kluttig, a Grade 10 student at Paul Kane, is cast as Mary Poppins. Kluttig has been part of Phoenix since Day 1 and was cast in both Legally Blonde (2017) and Beauty and the Beast (2018).
“When she did an audition, she killed it. Her voice is fantastic. She has great singing ability. When she started in Grade 8, her voice was not strong, but she’s taken lessons outside the company and her voice is now amazing.”
And as the magical nanny, she exudes a lovely balance of sternness, compassion and lovability.
Hayden Libich, a Grade 10 student from St. Albert Catholic High School, plays Bert, the whimsical charmer.
“Hayden has a very fun-loving personality. He’s a very happy-go-lucky guy and brings out that energy in Bert.”
And he’ll be applying years of energetic Ukrainian dance experience to dazzle audiences with some great moves, noted Paruby.
Expect to also hear some of the Disney catalogue’s most memorable songs such as A Spoonful of Sugar, Feed the Birds, Chim Chim Cher-ee, Brimstone and Treacle as well as Let’s Go Fly A Kite.
“This is a great family friendly show for people of all ages. It has talented, hard-working students, a great story line and great energy.”
