The Racine Theater Guild’s production of “Mary Poppins” is nearly the end of its run …. or perhaps we should we say “flight,” since Mary actually flies in our production. Whatever you call it, this production has been a joy both for those who have experienced it, as well as those who are delivering it.
Actually, to be perfectly clear, it has not been a complete Joy Ride for those of us who have brought this production to life for the community – at least not throughout. A production as complex as this couldn’t possibly be …. but in this case, those challenges were confronted within the framework of a frantic case of catch-up. For several different and largely unavoidable reasons, everything got rolling several weeks behind what would have been ideal – and I’m sure there were moments when director Doug Instenes had to seriously wonder if we were going to have a show to present by opening night. Fortunately, we are blessed with a really terrific cast who are both talented and nice – and a small army of dedicated of behind-the-scenes crew members who have weathered the stresses of this production cycle so graciously and patiently. And at the head of it all has been Doug and his absolutely amazing capacity for patience and understanding, even when things are going wrong left and right. Somehow, Doug manages not to lose his cool when a lot of other people would have blown their gasket several times over. And under this wise guidance, everyone has worked incredibly hard to bring all of this to fruition.
And of course, the real miracle is that people are coming to these performances with not so much as a glimmer of awareness of how so many people sweated blood to make all of this happen. Well, maybe a glimmer- but I think the RTG has done a remarkable job of creating onstage magic and made it seem pretty darn effortless. A case in point is when our wonderful Mary, Jamie Johnson, flies at three points during the evening. All the audience sees is her in flight – and it’s a breathtaking and moving sight – but every time she flies there are five different backstage technicians who are safely making it happen. (If I understand correctly, one checks and double checks the harnesses- one sends her up and down – one sends her across the stage left to right – one launches – and one catches or lands her.) Of course, all of those technicians were working in the dark, completely out of sight from the audience – which helps make it seem even more like actual magic. 🙂
Because of Christmas craziness at Carthage (look at all that alliteration) I actually did not get to see a bona fide performance of Mary Poppins until the second weekend – and because that particular performance was completely sold out, I was actually just standing at the back. What I remember from that night was two things- the joy and sense of generosity with which the cast performed- and the rapturous way in which it was received by the audience. They were laughing throughout the night at the funny stuff- and hushed and especially attentive in the poignant moments – and on their feet cheering by the end. And I found my heart just about bursting with happiness, and couldn’t imagine what Doug was feeling – or others who felt much more of a crushing pressure to deliver this production and its myriad of technical details that threatened to transform this show from a dream-come-true into an unrelenting nightmare. To have this production be so rapturously received was an incredible delight- and relief.
In some ways, it was appropriate that the road to opening for Mary Poppins was not an easy one- because the story itself is certainly not all cotton candy and balloons. There is some darkness in this story- some deep seriousness – and it’s hard not to shed a tear or two. The performance I saw served up several such moments, including one delivered by Megan (singing the role of the harried, hesitant Mrs. Banks so wonderfully) when she realizes that none of her party guests are bothering to attend the first big party she has ever thrown. The way Megan conveyed this young, uncertain woman’s profound sadness just tore me up. And of course, when young Michael Banks says “I love you” to Mary Poppins, it’s just about more than I can take ….. as is the sight at the end of the Banks family standing arm and arm as Mary Poppins floats away has to be one of the all-time most beautiful and touching stage pictures ever seen on that stage ….
And if all of that wasn’t nice enough, it was so great to go down into the Green Room and see a love fest going on – not only between cast members and their friends and loved ones who had come for the performance ….. but also between cast members with one another and with the crew. There were several moments when I just stepped back and watched it all, smiling – just so happy to be part of something so terrific, so life-affirming, so heartwarming.
<I’m both happy and sad to say that the show is completely sold out for the remainder of its fun. I’m happy for the RTG, but I am sad for all of the people who decided a little too late that they wanted to see it- and find themselves out of luck.>
Pictured at the top: curtain call!
Pictured below: Kathy with our Michael Banks. Christopher is a former student of hers at Schulte Elementary and was an absolute delight to work with.
