Upper School Casts Spell with Epic 'Mary Poppins'

Presented for family, friends, and the general public from March 3 to 5, the musical was directed and choreographed by Shore theater arts teacher Sarah Carlin. She said that while it's not unusual for Shore's annual mainstage musical productions to be large, ambitious enterprises, this year's two-hour Broadway-style musical, based on the Disney film version and co-created by British theater legend Cameron Mackintosh, "was a huge undertaking - we definitely bit off a lot in choosing this show."

"As the director," Carlin confessed, "I didn’t realize the sheer magnitude of this show before I decided upon it. But the more I delved into the script with my production team - months before rehearsals began - the more we discovered the large number of creative and logistical problems to be solved, the many intricacies of staging to work out, and the multitude of sets, props, and costume changes that would be needed. And, as we all know, there is a lot of 'magic' when Mary Poppins is around."

Still, Carlin said, "We all ended up immensely proud of the banquet of delicious moments we created. It took incredible levels of creativity and collaboration to pull it off, but we did."

Emphasized eighth grader Daniel Blundin, who played one of the servants in the household Mary Poppins comes to visit, "If you asked me a week ago whether the musical was performable, I would have said absolutely not. The fact that we pulled together so many pieces and created such a magnificent show is amazing to me. It is equally astounding that for many in the cast, this was their first musical."

Students were essential not just on stage, but behind the scenes, as well. They worked with faculty members and parents before and during the show to accomplish everything from building and painting sets, to operating the computer lighting setup and aiming spotlights, to managing the flow of talent, props, and sets backstage during the performances. 

Stage manager and eighth grader Ella Waxman orchestrated many of those details, whether replacing a missing prop or preparing Mary Poppins for flight. "Being able to watch from the catwalk as the faces of the children in the audience lit up see Mary Poppins flying overhead – it took my breath away," she said.

 

Shore’s Innovation Lab Manager Cam McNall devised Mary's flying apparatus and supervised the many lighting changes and technical aspects of the show, while third grade teacher Sam Hamlin oversaw the students and volunteers who created the ingenious moving sets, many featuring "trick" components such as a collapsing table. Upper School music teacher Jenn Boyum conducted the ensemble of local musicians providing accompaniment to the many familiar song-and-dance pieces, and Linda Ross Girard created costumes.

"We were in good hands," said Carlin. "Between flying Mary Poppins onto the stage, sending numerous kites in the air, and having kitchen furniture get broken and restored, magic happened indeed!"

"There really was something magical about the musical," said Gwen Schatz, who portrayed Mary Poppins' young charge, Jane Banks. "When I meet my peers in the hallways or my classes, I no longer see them in a polo and khakis; they've been magically transformed into chimney sweeps, kite flyers, and dream chasers."

 

Carlin said that the work required to master the many complicated choreographed moments, on-stage sleight of hand, and scene-to-scene transitions with the moving sets continued up until the last moment. 

"It took until four days before opening night to pull together all the elements of the production, but the students had done their work and were prepared to put on the best show possible. And they did! It’s a testament to the caliber and excellence of this cast and crew that many audience members commented after our performances that this far exceeded any middle school production they had seen before."

"Being in this show is something I will never forget," said Claudia Pollock, who played the role of Mary Poppins. "I will probably remember the experience of flying across Shore's stage for the rest of my life."

Carlin emphasizes the extraordinary commitment of all the students involved. "This year, we were fortunate to have a fabulous group of students involved in the production. Not only were they some of the most talented students I have had the pleasure of working with, but also their discipline, dedication, and positive attitudes brought the show to a new level. We set our sights high with this one, and we all supported each other in achieving our goals."

 

T.J. Hamilton, who played the wise chimney sweep Bert, agreed, quoting one of Mary Poppins’ most famous pieces of advice: "Anything can happen if you let it."

Now, as the sets have been dismantled and the costumes put away, the work of finding the right show for next year’s musical at Shore begins. And, says Carlin, "While we're looking forward to what’s next, we are all missing the magic of Mary Poppins just a little."