Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – getting their lips around the word isn’t the biggest challenge for the Scots School cast of Mary Poppins, it’s getting their hips to move to it.
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Ahead of their matinee performance on Thursday, Archie Myers, who plays Michael Banks, said each letter had a movement, similar to the Village People’s YMCA.
“I think learning the song was easier than learning the moves,” he said.
“I was obsessed with Mary Poppins when I was five, I would always watch it.”
Each of the four leading cast have a soft spot for the story – but the show’s director Liz Heitmeyer perhaps is the biggest fan.
“I was obsessed like Archie was, when I was five,” she said.
“The old favourites like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Let’s go fly a kite and Feed the birds, they’re all in the production but they’ve added some new songs for the Broadway version that sits pretty well,” she said.
“It’s a little bit different to the film but it’s actually very similar to the book, it borrows quite a bit from the original story, which you don’t get in the film.”
The production is Scot School’s most complicated yet – with speedy transitions between scene sets, efforts to create a dreamlike atmosphere, and of course, sending the magical nanny into the clouds.
Imogen Hanlon, 15, who plays the star role said she was ecstatic to be chosen.
“I was really surprised and couldn’t wait to start getting into it; it’s such an opportunity to be apart of this show,” she said.
It isn’t her first time on the stage – all of the lead cast have acted before – including 17-year-old Caleb Murray, playing Bert.
“I like the range of different characters – you have Mary and the Banks family, Bert and all of these magical characters,” he said.
“A lot of generations are interested … it’s been popular since it came out and is still very famous now.
“It’s very magical, you can get away from reality.”
Of the 70-odd cast, the youngest is in year 4 – Ms Liz Heitmeyer said this year, casting had been opened up to younger grades.
“There’s a lot of highlights and the cast is so good we go from one great song to the next; it’s not just the four (lead roles) but everyone who has a feature strong is really strong,” she said.
“The show itself is so fantastic, I think everyone will walk out of it feeling happy they spent their time and money seeing it.”
Performances will be held in the school’s Alistair Todd Chapel Hall on Friday at 7.30pm and on Saturday at 11am and 7.30pm.
To book tickets, visit www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=248442.
