A performance that will immediately win you over with childhood wonder and whimsy.

Stefanie Jones as Mary Poppins - Photo by Danny Kaan

The showstopping, glamorous, and timeless musical Mary Poppins arrived at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre this week for a four-week stay. In a word, of course... supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

For those few unfamiliar, Mary Poppins tells the tale of the Victorian Banks’ family, and a pair of unruly children put in place by the timely arrival of a magical nanny, complete with technicolour marvels and delightful costuming.

While much of the popular culture awareness of the beloved children’s character comes from Disney’s 1964 classic fantasy film of the same name, Mary was born from the books of P.L. Travers, a pioneering author, and one who hated the term creation - “Mary just arrived” was a phrase she often used.

The Company of Mary Poppins - Photo by Danny Kaan

The stage musical, produced by theatre legend Cameron Mackintosh (producer of Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, among numerous others), first opened in 2004 on the West End. 

It has since been staged worldwide, including a successful run on Broadway. Most recently, a production was staged in Sydney to rapturous praise. Starring Australian actors Stefanie Jones as Mary Poppins and Jack Chambers as Bert, both were nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award, with Jones winning. 

Both have gone on to star in the touring UK production, and seeing them on stage makes it clear why both have received such acclaim. 

Jones is immediately imbued with the warm spirit of Mary Poppins, channelling the best of Julie Andrews, with a poise and order, but an undercurrent of whimsy that lit up the stage. 

Mary Poppins' Arrival - Photo by Danny Kaan

Beneath her storybook demeanour, you can sense more fascinating layers to her that we are not privy to. She is magical, of course, but also slightly scary, and her battle of wits against replacement nanny Miss Andrew (delightful pantomime-esque villain played by Wendy Ferguson) suggests Mary’s magic carries an edge of discipline, making her equal parts formidable and enchanting. 

Chambers is immediately memorable for his pitch-perfect physicality, constantly falling over himself, leaping over the stage, and playing to the audience without falling too far into parody. His stretch in “Step in Time” as he manoeuvres around all four walls (and ceiling!) of the stage is a particular choreographed standout. 

His chemistry with Jones is well-oiled; it is clear that they have performed together countless times.

Jack Chambers as Burt - Photo by Danny Kaan

Although the ensemble cast may not have the same multiple years of experience in these roles, they are nevertheless equally excellent.

Michael D. Xavier as George Banks is putting on his best Basil Fawlty impression to great success. While he is naturally believable as a man of order and rigid structure, his highlight comes from the physical comedy mined from his disciplined routine falling apart around him. 

Winifred Banks is well-served by the stage adaptation, which adds a stronger sub-plot of her discomfort in high society and her wish for George to support her in the household again. Lucie-Mae Sumner is well-placed in the role, a grounding figure in the household, and the adult in the household most likely to play along with Poppins’ games.

International star Patti Boulaye as the Bird Woman, whose repetitions of ‘tuppence’ in “Feed the Birds” would sound frustrating if a lesser performer stood in the role. Her voice is magnificent, and it is clear how she developed the illustrious career across media that she has had.

I was particularly taken with the comedic servant double-act of Rosemary Ashe as Mrs Brill and Ruairidh McDonald as Robertson Ay. Both are breaths of fresh air when their hijinks play out on-stage - Mrs Brill as the constantly frustrated head of staff, and Robertson as the snivelling, hapless, house helper. McDonald’s embodiment of that classic red-nosed Disney trope is an impressive one. 

The child actors who portrayed Jane and Michael Banks on Friday night’s performance were both spot-on and held their own against the multitude of older stars of the stage. Several of Michael’s throw-away lines to the audience were the ones which received the biggest laughs, and Jane’s characterisation perfectly toes the line between bratty and adorable.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, the stand-out song of Mary Poppins - Photo by Danny Kaan

The show-stopping numbers are standouts, the highlights being the earworms taken directly from the film - “Step in Time”, “Spoonful of Sugar”, and, beyond everything, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (let’s hope I’ve spelt that right) are the hallmarks.

It’s a reinforcement of just how impressive those numbers are when the ones written for the stage are slightly less memorable and more perfunctory, but that doesn’t take away from how long I spent whistling “kick your knees up, step in time…” on the walk home.

I was further taken with the set design, hooked from the moment the Banks’ house unfurled like a pop-up book, immediately taking me back to bedtime stories, which made me nostalgic for an era I am far removed from. 

The surprisingly scary Mr. Punch puppet that materialises as the set-piece of “Playing the Game” was perhaps tonally removed from the rest of the production, but no less memorable and effective. 

For all fans who had Mary Poppins on repeat each Christmas as a child, this is sure to be a highlight of the Mayflower Theatre’s catalogue this year (anecdotally, my mother was thoroughly impressed). For those like myself, however, who are relatively unfamiliar with Mary Poppins aside from what we know from the cultural zeitgeist, I promise a performance that will immediately win you over with childhood wonder and whimsy.

Book your tickets here: https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/mary-poppins-2025/.