Practically Perfect in Every Way

Practically perfect in every way! Our Waukee Theater Arts are well on their way to preparing for this year’s musical, Mary Poppins. Performances are on April 14th, 7:00 PM April 15th, 2:00 PM April 15th, 7:00 PM April 16th, 2:00 PM. We were very curious about how educated the cast was on the movie, so we went and asked some members if they had ever seen the movie. Out of the 34 people we asked, 25 have seen the movie while 9 have not.  It is very important to know what you are performing and to be educated in the performance, even the little things. Mary Poppins is one of those movies that has tons of little secrets that people need to know to understand the movie fully.

The 1964 film Mary Poppins features Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins and Dick Van Dyke as Bert. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1964 and winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Mary Poppins is the only movie Walt Disney saw win Best Picture during his lifetime.  Walt Disney was very involved in the making of this movie. 

This movie is beloved and many members of Marry Poppins love it. Sophomore Joel Peterson, a cast member, remembers the first time he saw the movie. “I first watched Marry Poppins when I was eight years old, and my favorite part was getting to see the magic of London.” Junior cast member Allyna Bross shares her favorite part of the original movie. “The animated penguins in the animated scene in jolly holiday.” 

Our performance will not perfectly represent the movie because they have to follow more of the Broadway plot. The Broadway show has some similarities to the movie but also includes several differences. For example, in the movie, they include an extra character like Uncle Albert, who is known as the laughing guy. On the other hand, in the musical, they include Miss Andrews while they don’t include her in the movie. Another example would be Mrs. Banks. In the movie, she is more outgoing and emotive; in the musical, she is calm and reserved.” Junior Wesleigh Jane Winfrey, who plays Mrs. Banks, comments on this. “I prefer Mrs. Banks in the musical because I feel like her character is more relatable”. There are many more small things, but these are a few of the biggest differences. 

We also asked the musical crew the time-old question, what’s better: a musical or a movie? Junior Coria Chaloupecky who plays Mrs. Brill shares her two tuppences. “I like the music because it has more songs, and it’s more magical.” Senior Tatum Lowell who plays Mary Poppins shares the same opinion. “I like the music because it’s more authentic to the original story.” Sophomore cast member  Finn Graziano shares why he likes the musical better “The musical has more story and conflict”.

This year, Waukee Theatre Arts really wanted to perform a show that is family-friendly and entertaining, like the movie! Compared to previous years, this production will have a heavier technical focus to make it just a step better. For example, actors will be flying and the show will have a magical feeling. In the movie, they include lots of little illusions and the Mary Poppins crew is doing their best to replicate that. Also, the pit band will be in the center of the stage. This is a new but exciting addition to the spring musical! 

“Whether you prefer the movie or the musical, you cannot deny that we all love the story and magic of Mary Poppins.”The story is one that all ages can enjoy. The musical features songs from the movie like “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, “Step In Time”, “Jolly Holiday” and “Spoonful of Sugar”. Join us in recreating some of that magic with our school’s musical coming to you in April!