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Review: Mary Poppins at QPAC: Practically Perfect!

January 5, 2012 by Vikram Goyal

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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Democratic Republic of the Congo for Kids

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not the same as the Republic of the Congo. These are both nations in central Africa (and we’ll cover Republic of the Congo next time) and DRC is the second-largest country in Africa. Let’s learn about it!

Democratic Republic of the Congo Facts

  • The first thing to know is that this country goes by a lot of different names. Like DRC, as I just mentioned, but also DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa (Kinshasa is also the capital), Big Congo and confusingly also Congo. Its border by Republic of the Congo (which is also sometimes just called Congo) as well as Angola (which it looks like I skipped when I was in the As, so we’ll have to get that one, too!), South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia. 
  • Most of the country is rainforest, and there are also mountains. 
  • The country is the 11th largest in the world by area, at 905,567 square miles, or 2,345,409 square kilometers.
  • The country is named for the Congo River, which was named after the Kingdom of Kongo and is thought to mean something like a public gathering of people.
  • At the time of its independence from Belgium in 1960, it was named  the Republic of the Congo-Léopoldville to distinguish it from neighboring Congo. In 1964, the president renamed it Zaire (which the river was called in the 16th and 17th centuries). The name changed to Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997. 
  • Nearly 113 million people live in DRC, and Kinshasa is both the capital and largest city. 
  • It has a president and a prime minister and a parliament with two houses. 
  • The official language is French, though other national languages are recognized. 

Democratic Republic of the Congo National Symbols

The flag of Big Congo has a bright blue background, with a red stripe on the diagonal through the center, and smaller gold stripes on either side of the red stripe. There’s a large, gold, five-point star in the upper left hand corner. The flag was adopted in 2006.

The national anthem on DRC is “Debout Congolais” or “Arise, Congolese,” which was originally adopted in 1960 but replaced when the country was called Zaire. It became the anthem again in 1997.

The leopard is the national animal, and is shown on its national emblem, which also has an elephant tusk and a spear along with the national motto in French (justice, peace, work). 

DRC Activities for Kids

Learn more about leopards from National Geographic Kids, and make a fun leopard craft from Learn Create Love. If you want a more involved craft, try painting leopard spots like in this craft from No Time for Flash Cards.

There’s a nice selection of country study information, clip art, fact sheets and more at Teachers Pay Teachers. Peanut Butter Fish Lessons also has a free DR Congo unit study with printables. 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, with about 70 percent of the world’s supply. Learn more about what cobalt is and how it’s used (and maybe make some art with the bright blue color that gets its name from this metal). 

Lake Tanganyika, the world’s longest and second deepest freshwater lake, is shared with Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia, and Zambia Tourism has a good page about it. DRC also has the world’s second largest rainforest in the Congo Basin, which you can read more about at the World Wildlife Fund website. 

The volcano Nyiragongo last erupted in  2002 and experiences ongoing volcanic activity. It’s a thread to Goma, a city of half a million people. The country is also home to Nyamuragira, considered Africa’s most active volcano, which last erupted in 2010. You can learn more in this video from Naked Science.

Moambe chicken is considered the national dish of DRC. It’s a chicken stew often made with peanut butter and palm oil, which give it its red color. Grab the recipe from Low Carb Africa and try it for yourself.

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