Presented by: Scotch College
Reviewed: 8 August, 2025
For years I have had people tell me I need to see a Scotch College musical. I’m usually skeptical about going to a school production, but after seeing their latest offering, Mary Poppins — The Broadway Musical, I’m kicking myself as to why I haven’t attended one sooner. This production was outstanding. Just about every element you expect in a high quality production was met with great professionalism and infectious energy.
Based on the beloved stories by Australian author P.L. Travers and the original Disney film, Mary Poppins — The Broadway Musical features the beloved Sherman brothers songs we know from the original movie, with additional new songs and arrangements by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
Like many school and youth productions, Scotch College’s production features a double cast for most of the lead roles. At the performance I attended, cast 2 was featured. However, based on the high quality of this cast, there is no doubt that cast 1 would have been equally as impressive. It is also a credit to Scotch to honour the magic of the show, right up to having Mary fly across the stage when required and for Bert to be able to dance on the ceiling and rooftops.
Director and choreographer Stephanie Thompson and director Melissa Sheldon have worked this cast extremely efficiently. It’s no easy feat working with a large cast without making the stage look cluttered, but this direction team utilised the multi-level stages efficiently so each member of the cast could be seen. Accent work across the cast was mostly solid and scene changes were effective and efficient. There were a few inconsistencies in some of the direction, especially when it came to scene location (for example, the Banks children’s bedroom had two different configurations). Whilst this didn’t affect the flow of the production, it’s these details that could have elevated the show even further.
The cast is exceptional. The large ensemble clearly all share a love of theatre, with each member giving their all. From minor roles to elite dancers to ensemble, each performed with so much enthusiasm and energy, you couldn’t help but get swept up in the production. The choreography was performed with great precision and vocally the cast knew their parts. The full house standing ovation was extremely well deserved.
Isabella Buley in cast 2 was entrusted with the beautiful role of The Bird Woman. Isabella’s voice was a perfect match for this delicate, caring role and she performed the emotive song Feed The Birds wonderfully. Charlotte Venning’s stern and strict Miss Andrews was excellent. As Miss Corry, Siena Turner found some great moments to showcase her acting chops in the ‘talking shop’.
As the house keepers Mrs Brill and Robertson Ay, Jasper Darwent and Elliott Purdie worked brilliantly against each other. Jasper captured the flustered nature of Mrs Brill and Elliott found the right level of slap-stick that Robertson Ay needs without upstaging.
Harry Geary and Grace Pannell found the right level of maturity needed to play Mr and Mrs Banks. Harry displayed the strain and uptight nature of Mr Banks with great conviction and vocally kept the upper class characteristics perfectly. Grace’s Mrs Banks was excellent. She carried the character of Mrs Banks with such care, you felt every emotion being portrayed. Her act two ballad Being Mrs Banks (reprise) was simply brilliant.
The Banks children, Jane and Michael, were wonderfully played by Zoe Windle and Poppy Warren. Zoe and Poppy bounced off each other well and their character arc throughout the show showed a great understanding of how Mary’s presence changes who they are as people. Vocally they both sounded excellent.
Asher Gordon’s Bert was exceptional. He is going to be a name to watch in coming years in the Adelaide theatre scene. Asher captured every essence of Bert — from accent, mannerisms, and choreography, it was all excellent. The big showstopper of act 2, Step In Time really showcased to the audience exactly how much of a triple threat Asher is. The sheer joy and delight on his face during this number, especially when he was dancing on the rooftops of the set, was infectious and the audience was swept up in his energy.
Lucy Stirling was practically perfect as the beloved Mary Poppins. She carried herself with such poise, everything about her character has been thoroughly considered, from how she holds her hands when moving across the stage, to the slightest meaningful glance to the audience when she has manipulated a situation. Vocally, she captured Mary’s nature well. She had the strength to carry herself over the cast, but brought out the caring and softer side of the character where it was needed.
Music direction by Dr. Martin Cheney was excellent. The vocal work he did with the cast was drilled well, and special mention needs to go to the continuity of accents flowing from dialogue into song. The orchestra assembled for this production was a combination of student and professional musician, all who played at a very high level and produced an incredible, tight sound.
The one surprising disappointment with this production was the quality and execution of the audio. For Scotch College to be paying a professional to operate audio, you would expect a professional quality. Sadly, lines were cut off, microphones were turned off mid-scene while the cast were talking or singing and at one stage the orchestra’s microphones were turned off mid-song. There were also moments where the gain and volume were pushed causing crackling in the speakers which detracted from the overall high-quality of this production.
I would tell you to rush to see this outstanding production full of the next generation of South Australia’s up-and-coming theatre performers, but the season is completely sold out — and deservedly so!
Reviewed by Ben Stefanoff
Photo credit: Warren King
Venue: The Queens Theatre,
Season: Until Sunday 10 August, 2025
Duration:
Tickets: Season Sold Out
Bookings: Season Sold Out
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