Review: Mary Poppins at QPAC: Practically Perfect!

Mary Poppins Review

I did not know that the author of the Mary Poppins book series was born only about 255 kms (161 miles) from where I sit today (Brisbane, Australia), in a sleepy old two called Maryborough (The name of the town probably has nothing to do with the name of the character that the author created).

Yes, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious indeed! P. L. Travers (or original name of Helen Lyndon Goff) was country author who created the magical and mysterious nanny and the show based on this famous character started its run at the Lyric Theatre at QPAC yesterday. It is a homecoming of sorts.

Most people will remember this nanny from the 1964 Hollywood adoption, made famous by Julie Andrews’s Oscar winning performance and the Sherman Brothers cheeky songs. In 2004, Cameron Mackintosh and Disney collaborated to bring the musical to stage at West End with follow up shows in Broadway and Australia. The Australian run started in Melbourne in 2010, and last night, it came to Brisbane.

And what a homecoming it was. A packed audience saw Verity Hunt-Ballard play Mary Poppins in a performance that was as much soulful as it was colorful. Matt Lee (ex judge from So you think you can Dance Australia) is the perfect foil as Bert. Simon Burke and Pippa Grandison play the Banks couple with intensity. But the audience favourite may yet have been Sally Ann-Upton playing the housekeeper, Mrs. Brill.

The show, is a must see, even if you are not a fan of live stage productions. Just the songs will make you want to hum along. The dialogues are crisp, the acting fluent and the clockwork precision of the theatrical production would have made P. L. Travers happy. Go see it!

All the details:

On now till Mar 17th 2012.

Friday* and Saturday 7.30pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees
Tickets $45 – $132.50

*Special holiday matinees will replace Friday evening shows on January 13, 20 and 27.

Wednesday and Thursday 7.30pm, Friday 1.30pm and Sunday 6.30pm
Tickets $45 – $127.50

Wednesday and Thursday 7.30pm (excludes 30 Dec to 4 Jan)
Family Pass
(4 x C Reserve tickets) $140

Wednesday 1.30pm
Tickets $40 – $90

The duration of the show is 2 hours and 45 minutes with a 20 minute interval.

Buy tickets at QPAC.

Hot Tip: If you have a child under the age of six, and if that child would not settle (as was our case), then make sure you ask the ushers to help you to go to the “Viewing Room”. This room is at the back of the theatre, has around 8 seats in a private sound proof box, and your child can make mayhem there without causing you to close your eyes and ears in embarrassment. You can still see the show, and hear it via a slightly muffled speaker, and you can go in and out of this room as you may please.

Also, if you have a child under 2, make sure to collect a free “Babes in Arms” ticket from the box office before going in.

CraftGossip attended the show courtesy of QPAC Publicity.

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I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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