Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

A hush fell over the coliseum crowd as the house lights dimmed and the curtains were parted to reveal a silhouette of a woman in a fluffy dress grasping an umbrella, it was familiar to some.  “Look it's Mary Poppins!” exclaimed an excited third grade girl, as some laughed and others shushed the laughing.

San Angelo ISD students from several different elementaries were treated to a special showing of Mary Poppins, a production by San Angelo Broadway Academy (SABA), Friday morning at the Foster Communications Coliseum. SABA invited students to the last dress rehearsal before opening night yesterday evening.

“Having the students come and watch us is great for us and them in that we get a dress rehearsal in  with a live audience and the students get a chance to watch a live theatre production, which some may not have the opportunity to do,” said Ben Settle of SABA. “We are always excited to perform for the kids, they make a great audience.”

Backstage before the performance actors, actresses and stage hands rushed to make last minute adjustments. According to Settle, this play required crews to build the largest set they’ve ever made, making the space provided at the coliseum perfect for this weekend’s performances. “We even had to make our stage a little bigger,” Settle said.

Mary Poppins was a novel written by P.L. Travers in 1933, during the Great Depression. Travers was working for the British Ministry of Information and traveled to New York on business where she was contacted by Roy Disney who was a fan of the all of the children’s books she had written previously about Mary Poppins under her real name, Helen Lyndon Goff.

For years, Disney tried to obtain rights to what had become a beloved children’s story, particularly in Great Britain where Travers spent most of her adult life. She even wrote a sequel titled Mary Poppins Comes Back, which was followed by a string of more Poppins books. The last one, Mary Poppins and the House Next Door was published in 1988.  Walt Disney (Roy’s brother) was finally able to acquire the rights to the story form Travers, and in 1964 Mary Poppins the movie debuted on the silver screen, starring Julie Andrews as Mary and Dick Van Dyke as her jolly friend, Bert. The character that first appeared in 1924 in a short story had come a long way.

It is well known that Travers did not care for Disney’s version of the character she had birthed, but nonetheless did not complain too much, as it made her a wealthy woman.  The success of Mary Poppins is legendary, as proven in worldwide productions and in the one happening right here in San Angelo.

“This is the first time Mary Poppins has been performed on stage in west Texas,” Settle said. “We hope everyone comes out and enjoys the show.”

You can catch SABA’s production this weekend only at the Foster Communications Coliseum, 50 E. 43rd St.  Show times are as follows: Saturday @ 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. and Sunday @ 2p.m. & 6 p.m. Tickets are $12-$15 at the door or you can purchase tickets on line at www.saba.ticketbud.com  If you are looking for a last minute Mother's Day gift, this would be perfect for a mother with a love for the theatre.

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