Mary Poppins is about to fly again, thanks to students in the performing arts department of the Oak Park and River Forest High School.
The play will run for five performances with senior Jonas Talandis, who's from River Forest, in the role of Bert the chimney sweep, and senior Lizzie Maguire of Oak Park playing the title role.
Talandis was so excited to win the coveted role that he screamed with excitement when he saw his name on the cast list. For her part, Maguire said the character of Mary Poppins is tough, since she embodies perfection, and it can be challenging to bring a perfect person to life.
The story of the play differs slightly from the film version, but still has songs and dances that many people will know from the movie. The plot tells of Mary Poppins, a nanny with magical powers who appears one day to save the Banks family. In this production, there will be 106 students in the cast, 35 in the orchestra, and 40 backstage crew members.
Mary Poppins opens this evening at 7:30 pm, and runs tomorrow at 3:00 pm, March 3 at 7:30 pm, March 4 at 7:30 pm, and March 5 at 3:00 pm.
Productions like this can benefit if managers work with a poster printing company to create an colorful poster advertising the show.
