Mary Poppins

The 2012-13 season of Broadway Across Canada has kicked off with a bang. A supercalifragilisticexpialdocious bang.

From the moment the curtain rises on Cherry Tree Lane, I was spellbound, caught up in this world of chimney sweeps and nannies, as a childhood favorite took to the stage. Rachel Wallace and Con O'Shea-Creal had big shoes to fill; Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are legendary in their roles as Mary and Bert, but this incredible twosome did them justice, in voice, in dance, in expression, and in the sweet affection of the great love story that never was. What a wonderful duo!

They were backed up by a talented cast, comic, dramatic, graceful, and energetic. Snaps to Q. Smith in her twin roles of the Bird Woman and Miss Andrew (the evil nanny who does not appear in the movie version but adds some dark menace, brimstone and treacle to the stage producton). The sets... oh the sets! When your gray London backdrop opens up like a pop-up book, you know you`re in for a delightful treat, and as statues come to life, as Mary floats to earth, as Bert taps to heaven, as magic happens in every corner, you`re immediately transported into a jolly holiday of color, light, and childlike wonderment. The staging, phenomenal. The choreography, intricate, impressive, and mind-blowing.

I literally do not have enough superlatives to describe one of the most amazing productions I have seen in recent years. Two words sum it up: practically perfect. This production of Mary Poppins reached for the heavens, and we the audience got the stars thrown in.

Wow.

This has been a bobert review.