Mount Vernon High School drama invites the community to ‘go fly a kite’ and see ‘Mary Poppins’
Audiences can catch “Mary Poppins” at the Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center on April 13-14 and April 19-20. Curtains rise at 7 p.m. for Friday and Saturday’s shows, and at 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinee.
Tickets for “Mary Poppins” are on sale now at mvhstheatre.ludus.com. Stephens notes the production has a new pricing structure with the new ticket vendor. Tickets in the orchestra level of the auditorium are on sale $12 a piece and $10 for mezzanine seating on April 13 and April 19-20. For the April 14 matinee, orchestra seating is $10, and mezzanine is $8.
Disney and theater producer Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins” is a stage adaptation of the popular Disney musical film.
Director Tom Stephens said the show was a “true joy” to work on. He also loves the lessons Mary Poppins is able to teach the Banks family about success, family and hope.
“Mary Poppins is a huge, complicated production – even by our recent standards,” Stephens said. “It will be a truly magical experience for the whole family.
“Educational theatre is the core of what we do, and the directing team is always pushing ourselves to make theatre collaborative, engaging, and meaningful for both students and audiences. This specific show allows us to do all of that in spades,” Stephens said.
Assistant director Lorna Bauer said it has been fun to watch this show develop.
“In high school, I was in some small parts in shows, but it’s truly a unique experience to watch this show develop every practice,” Bauer said.
Senior Charlie Krob will play Mary Poppins in the production.
“I really got a feel for being a leading role in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ last fall, and this is a much meatier role,” Krob said.
Krob said that she’s loved the many magic parts that are going to bring the audience into the performance overall.
“The audience will get to see us do so many magical tricks we haven’t done in a show before,” Krob said.
Krob noted this is also very challenging musically.
“It’s a musical people are very familiar with, if they’ve seen the Disney movie,” Krob said. “It’s very family friendly and fun.”
Violet Olinger will play Neelius in the production, one of the statues in the park.
“I have had a really busy schedule this past fall with band and dance, and this was a chance to do dance on stage,” Olinger said.
She said she loves that the part gives her a chance to do a featured dance during one of the musical numbers, as well as spending time with many of her friends.
“The biggest challenge is probably singing right after I get done dancing,” Olinger said.
Senior Addison Gookin joined the musical as an ensemble member for the first time this spring.
“I’ve enjoyed seeing this all come together,” Gookin said. “I’ve loved being with all of these cast members to bring this musical to life.”
Jayce Pendergrass is working on the technical elements of the show, and said he has loved working on those for this show.
“The role on the technical crew for this show is very unique,” Pendergrass said. “There’s a lot of neat little tricks we get to bring to the stage.”
If there is a challenge, he said, it is resetting those tricks after every performance.
“It’s really a one-of-a-kind show,” Pendergrass said.
Music director Thad Wilkins helps the cast iron out the harmonies in a song during practice early last week. The opening night of Mary Poppins is April 13 at the Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center.