Tap dancing. On the rooftops. Upside down.
Yes, it’s possible when Mary Poppins is in town. The show, which runs at the Dubai Opera from May 1 to May 25, brings the promise of magic. And the severe possibility of having you sing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in tones reminiscent of a very young child.
The stage production of Mary Poppins, the tale of the perfect nanny who rescues a dysfunctional family from themselves, originally opened in 2004 and ran at the West End for three years, delivering more than 1,250 performances.
Matthew Bourne, who co-directed the original show with Richard Eyre and choreographed it with Stephen Mear, tells Gulf News tabloid!: “I think when you take on something that is so famous and loved in a different form i.e., films, and [that is] so iconic, the biggest challenge is to create something new for the stage. And we approached it as something new, not reproducing the show on stage, but looking to the books and the music, and creating new songs as well as the famous songs that people loved.” (The movie was adapted from a series of books by P. L. Travers.)
The Broadway production ran for more than six years and picked up several awards before zipping across the world; it has shown in Holland and Mexico, besides touring Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK.
Zizi Strallen, who plays the famed caretaker in the 2017 version of the production, is all a-giggle over the phone ahead of her UAE stopover. Her laughter is infectious and generously punctuates her sentences. The British actress, whose portfolio reads like a fairy-tale listing — she’s been Demeter in Cats; Constance in the original West End cast of Rock of Ages; the movie version of Cinderella (2015); and series Dinotopia (2002) — has been making a name for herself as a practically perfect Mary. But it’s not like playing the character isn’t daunting.
“It’s big shoes to fill. And there’s a lot of pressure that comes with being Mary Poppins,” she says. (The role was made popular by Julie Andrews in the 1964 movie.) “But you know, all the joy, the lovely stuff, you get out of it completely outweighs all the pressure, so it’s a joy really,” she quickly adds.
Sure, except it comes with a corset and involves flying on and offstage. The good news is the actress has won renown for her physicality, or has at least gained major respect from her young co-stars for it. She recalls someone asking the kids on set what they liked about working with her. And the answer came swiftly. “I think they were expecting [them] to say, ‘I really like what she does,’ or something like that, and the reaction they got was, “‘coz she has abs,” which I thought was absolutely hilarious. A, because my abs aren’t what they used to be and b, kids are so funny; they come up with the funniest things.”
So back to dealing with the corset. Must she keep an eye on everything she eats? “The only time I’m really careful about what I eat is just before the show, because I wear a corset in the show and if I have massive dinner before the show, it’s just not going to be good… not going to be comfortable for the show.” I ask whether she eats burgers and fries on a normal day, to which she laughs, “Yes.”
It’s just as well, dancing after a big meal in a tummy crunching number seems a difficult proposition. Tougher still for the chimney sweep, Bert, who for the song Step in Time does an upside down jig.
Bourne, who was awarded an OBE in 2001 and a knighthood in 2016, was the brains behind that dance. He won an Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer, and two Tony nominations when the musical opened on Broadway. He explains the roof jig: “It’s a very odd feeling. Tap-dancing is all about being into the ground, with your weight going into the ground and making a sound, so taking that weight upwards is virtually impossible. Very unique experience for anyone who does that role.”
Energetic
Matt Lee, who plays Bert, agrees. “Bert, [the character] that I play is an all singing, all dancing, cheeky chap chimney sweep that was made famous by Dick Van Dyke in the film, and it’s quite energetic, so it requires me to have a lot of physical fitness,” he says.
But he’s probably used to it. The Australian has been playing Bert for a while; he has played the character in a few productions, and won the 2011 Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical for his version of the grimy, yet sweet character. “The best part [of the show] is being part of such an iconic story that’s been told around the world for many, many, many years, [so] to get [to be] part of that in a live production is probably one of the most amazing highlights for me,” he explains.
Lee speaks like he dances: quickly, eloquently and with witty turns. The actor-choreographer has gone from theatre to TV — he turned critic for season three of talent show So You Think You Can Dance — and carries with him lessons learnt as an audience member and judge. “The hardest part of being part of a television production was, you know, being judgemental [laughs]. And then having to go back on stage and then back up all the things that you told the contestants, so I was quite worried… not worried, but aware going back on stage… but you know, I love what I do and quite passionate about what I do.”
Still, kids do prove a challenge, sometimes. “Working with kids is really interesting, because you never know what they are going to do, really. I mean they learn their lines and they rehearse with the adult cast and everything, but they are kids… it’s a very unexpected journey,” he says.
Strallen echoes the sentiment. “As an actress, it’s such a great challenge because it stops you from getting into a routine of doing the same show everyday, because the children constantly swap around, and all kids are so completely different from one another. And I do most of the show with them… it keeps me on my toes,” she explains.
The actress is a quick study though. “I’ve learnt so much from doing the show… the child actors in the show as well as the lessons Mary Poppins teaches,” she says. For one thing, “I’ve got slightly tidier.”
You’d have to be, if you carried a bag like Poppins’ does. She says she’d carry everything but the kitchen sink. Then, laughing, she decides on just the must-haves. “Lots of hairbrushes, tonnes of make-up; I love make-up, and probably some coffee, ‘coz I love coffee. That’s my essentials.”
That’s not so much like Poppins who’d carry a hat rack and mirrors given the opportunity. But the famous bag does make an appearance.
“This production has everything in it that you could ask for from the story of Mary Poppins, I mean, we’ve got a magical nanny that flies in and out. I get to tap dance upside down on the ceiling. Mary’s got her magical bag that she kind of takes out in the first 10 minutes of the show, so it’s just full of a lot of magic,” she says.
Quote/Unquote
Matt Lee: [In Dubai] I’m looking forward to eat. I’ve heard that the Opera House that we are performing in is a beautiful place and I can’t wait to see that and I can’t wait to bring a wonderful story to a new audience.
Don’t miss it!
Mary Poppins runs at the Dubai Opera until May 25. Tickets, starting at Dh250, are available on dubaiopera.com.
