Mary Poppins at HCT

I had so much fun last night seeing Hale Centre Theatre's production of Mary Poppins.  It is such an entertaining show and it brought back so many memories of my childhood.  It is the first movie I actually remember seeing with my Aunt Sharon and my cousins at the old Villa Theatre in Salt Lake. The musical tells the well-known story of how a nanny comes to Cherry Tree Lane to save the Banks children and ends up saving their father.  This is a big show and I am in awe of what director John Sweeney and choreographer Jenny Barlow were able to do on such a small stage!  The choreography is simply amazing, especially in "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Step in Time."  Kacey Udy, once again, outdid himself with the set design.  The Banks' drawing room rises from the floor and the nursery comes down from the ceiling.  The carousel the children ride during "Jolly Holiday" is fabulous!  Kimberly Olson Bunker is practically perfect in every way as Mary Poppins and I especially enjoyed her performance in "A Spoonful of Sugar." David Smith is totally endearing as Bert and I was very impressed with his singing and dancing in "Jolly Holiday" and "Step in Time." Abigail Edwards and Anson Bagley are adorable as the children and JaNae Gibbs Cottam (a frequent performer at HCT) is hilarious as Miss Andrew.  The entire cast does a wonderful job and the dancing is simply spectacular!  I highly recommend seeing this show with your children.  The kids in the audience last night seemed spell-bound and a little girl in my row gasped out loud when she saw Mary Poppins flying through the air (there was a slight glitch in Mary's flying apparatus but she informed us that it was because she had a new umbrella). The show runs through August 9 but, as usual, many shows are sold out.  Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.