They're not the most likeable pair of kids and they've seen off many nannies before Mary arrives, but then again their father George (Joseph Millson) is a distant, humourless figure, and their mother Winifred (Amy Griffiths) spends most of her time trying to live up to the social standing she assumes George wants for the family.
Mary's signature mix of song, magical adventures and getting to know people they might not normally have associated with (notably Petula Clark's raggedy Bird Woman) provides treats and a new perspective on life for the kids, but her real target is the parents: Her regime gradually brings the life back into George and the independence back into Winifred, until they become the parents their children need, and they no longer need a nanny at all. I saw Richard Eyre and Matthew Bourne's production when it was first in London 15 years ago, and thought it would make a good Christmas present for my sister; it's still a family crowd-pleaser that should satisfy any fan of the film except those who expect a frame-by-frame recreation of it on stage (you know those people are out there.) But it's also got a hint of a more sour side to balance out the sweet, intended in part to bring it a bit more in line with what Travers (who famously hated the film) wanted.
So the Banks children are much brattier and outright ruder, Fit Dad's emotional damage is seen to be caused by a cruel nanny of his own (whom Winifred inadvertantly unleashes on their own children when Mary goes AWOL) and Mary herself is quite sharp-tongued - Strallen gives her a bitchy side that's as delightful as any of the sweeter stuff. Winifred no longer being a suffragette does leave her feeling a bit one-dimensional; on the other hand the way I remember the film it kind-of suggests that trying to get the vote is distracting her from the much more important business of looking after her home and family, so it may be for the best. One way the production resolutely, and disappointingly, refuses to join the 21st century is in the cast's lack of diversity. Malinda Parris is almost the only non-white face in the entire cast, and although her West Indian Mrs Corry brings a new dimension to the showstopping "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" there's the definite feel she's a token presence.
Bob Crowley's design, Paul Kieve and Jim Steinmeyer's illusions and a lot of clever stage flying and wire work (including two spectacular stunts) add to the overall magic. Not the most spectacular moment, but one that impressed me with its intricacy was "Let's Go Fly A Kite," if only in how careful the choreography has to be to stop all the wires from getting crossed. (One thing I really like about this version as opposed to the film is how that particular song gets moved much earlier: It's a sweet enough song in its own right but as a grand finale it's positively insipid. Stiles & Drewe replace it with the stronger "Anything Can Happen" followed by a "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" reprise.) One surprise for me was in the scene of the Banks children at their most obnoxious when their toys rise up against them. Being familiar with the original London cast recording I was expecting "Temper, Temper," but instead we got "Playing the Game," which Wikipedia tells me replaced it in 2009. It doesn't say why, and I found it a bit of a watered-down version of the earlier song, but maybe kids were finding the nightmarish original scene a bit too dark (Penny did still find the dolls in the scene as it is now creepy.)
If Fellowes' version of Mary Poppins has a few chillier moments than people familiar with the film might expect there's one reliably warm figure in Bert, the street artist/lamplighter/chimney sweep who serves (through the multiple reprises of "Chim Chim Cher-ee") as the show's narrator. Anyone who saw Half a Sixpence will know Charlie Stemp could play Bert in his sleep, and he even makes the first (and in my view most audacious) of the show's two wire-based coups de théâtre look effortless. He's a great complement to Strallen's Mary, and they even make you wish something could come of the flirtation Bert attempts with her (although, as I warned Alex before the show, Stemp is from Peckham, so you might find his accent disappointingly accurate.) Overall this production delivers what you expect from Mary Poppins and just a little bit more - a welcome return to the West End.
Mary Poppins by Julian Fellowes, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, based on the books by P L Travers, is booking until the 7th of June at the Prince Edward Theatre.
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes including interval.
Photo credit: Johan Persson.
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