Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor –

The beloved nanny, Mary Poppins, is paying a longish visit to San Antonio and you’ll be able to spend time with her at the Public Theater of San Antonio from Sept. 13 through October 13. And, yes, she will be flying and performing her usual magic, plus singing and dancing, and helping the Banks family restore harmony in the household.

A tall order, you say?

 Well, actress/singer Hadley Rouse says she is up to it, in fact, she is enthusiastic about portraying the iconic character made famous world-wide by Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney movie.

“There’s so much to love about this story and the role of Mary Poppins in particular, and there’s so much history involved with the book series, the movies, the actresses that have played her before, and everything,” said the Kentucky-based Hadley who played Mary once before in a community theater production. “It’s such a timeless story with so many beautiful themes like forgiveness, finding joy in life, family… All of that drew me back to do the role, and now that I have been in the world of Mary Poppins for a while, I am in love with it.”

And she enjoys all the things she gets to do in this production. “We do a lot of flying in this show, which is fun, and there’s a ton of magic, which is also fun. That’s one of the things that we talked about with George (Green, the director). Among ourselves, we call Mary a witch, but in a good way, in the sense that she performs a lot of magic, and I think the audience is going to be surprised and wowed by what they will see.”

Her fellow actor, Chaz Ingraham, who appears in the play as the narrator, dancer and jack-of-all-trades Bert, is equally excited to be part of the Public’s production. “It’s a dream role. Every kid knew the story of Mary Poppins. When I was very young, I got a VHS tape that had Mary Poppins (movie) on it and I watched it almost every day, dancing around to the music,” said the actor who seems to exude the optimism of his character. “Bert is the friend who always has a smile on his face; who always sees the glass as half full. I try to live like that, too. Everything is going to be OK…”

The stage musical was produced decades after the movie, first in London in 2004, and then on Broadway in 2006, with some new songs, stage-specific adaptations and other original elements. Both film and stage show are based on Australian-born writer P.L. Travers’ series of books about the strict but kind and spirited nanny who comes into the unhappy household of George and Winifred Banks to take care of the rowdy kids, but who ultimately manages to change both the kids’ behavior and the parents’ attitude and improve the well-being of all.

For Green, including Mary Poppins in the 2019-20 season was an easy decision.

“There are two main reasons: First, it’s a blockbuster, a big revenue generator for any theater that does it. That also means that it comes at a high cost to produce but, typically, the return from a show of this caliber is extremely high. People love seeing it,” said Green who is also the Public’s artistic/executive director. “The other main reason is that it’s really a wonderful family production. We don’t have the opportunity to do too many of those. We hope to have kids come to see it and see what live theater is all about.”

One of the things that kids should learn from the musical is to treat others as they would like to be treated themselves, added the director. “There is a scene involving the kids’ toys, and we see them as kind of scary and not as friendly as the kids thought they should be, and that’s due to the way they were treated. Later, in our production, we bring the toys back and they are happy toys at the end because the kids have changed, too…  That’s also why there is good nanny and a bad nanny in the story. The good Nanny, Mary, helps create a better home environment and changes the mother and father more than the kids. Ultimately, it’s about parenting and the family. How we raise our children is the most important thing we do.”

Green has tweaked the show a bit, to bring out a few darker aspects. “When you think about Mary Poppins and Bert, and the Chimney Sweeps and who they really are – they are magical beings with magical powers. They are not ordinary humans. And if you read the books, there’s so much darkness in them, things that you can’t take off the page and put on stage. So, when Disney and Cameron Mackintosh (original producer) made their respective versions, so many things were left out. I encourage people to read the books and hopefully, our show will encourage people to do that and put some of the puzzle pieces together in their minds, pieces we cannot put on stage.”

One “piece” that is perfect is Rouse in the role of Mary, Green said. Chosen from among 100 young women who auditioned for the part, “she is technically strong as a performer but there is a part of her, as a human being, that carries perfectly into Mary Poppins. Hadley has that Mary Poppins spirit; she truly wants to do good in the world and that sincerity is evident in her performance.”

Meaning and lessons aside, however, Mary Poppins is also a musical sizzling with fabulous songs such as A Spoonful of Sugar, Feed the Birds, Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Jolly Holiday, the big tap number Step in Time, and the one with the unpronounceable name Supercalifragilisticexpialidocius.

Though most songs have a dance component, dance is not an auxiliary element here. Choreographed by the Public’s resident dancemaker, Courtnie Mercer, splashy, high energy dance takes over the stage in Step in Time, Anything Can Happen, Playing the Game, and Jolly Holiday. For something extra – and not often seen in musicals – the Public has invited two Ballet San Antonio dancers – Sierra Cummings and Alexander Allen – to bring the magic of classical ballet to this already magic-filled show. The two will appear in duets and solos, as well as with the rest of the ensemble.

Like Ingraham, Mercer has loved Mary Poppins since she was a child, and like him, remembers watching the movie over and over. But memories do not guide her choreographic approach. When she undertakes to create her own choreography, she listens to the songs with a new discernment, focusing on their rhythms and patterns as she develops her dance ideas. “I write everything down in advance in my own choreographic language,” she said, “but if I need to modify something (due to circumstances or a dancer’s ability), I’ll fix that when it happens.”

So, what is her favorite number?

“Jolly Holiday” she said after only a moment of hesitation. “It’s so pretty, all ballet-based, perfect to kick off the show.”

Mary Poppins, Sept. 13 – Oct. 13, Fridays-Saturdays 7:30, Sundays 2 p.m.; Public Theater of San Antonio, 800 West Ashby, 78212; Tickets $20-$45; 210-733-7258, www.thepublicsa.org (Photos: Siggi Ragnar)