Review: 'Mary Poppins' at Croswell Opera House is 'practically perfect in every way'

ADRIAN — The last time the Croswell Opera House staged “Mary Poppins” in 2015, I wrote that to call it the biggest thing the Croswell had ever done was actually something of an understatement.

Well, the 2023 version of the show is certainly no smaller.

Huge technical demands of all sorts, massive production numbers, costuming and set design tours de force, dozens upon dozens of people in the cast and crew and orchestra … the list just goes on and on.

And, wow, is it ever fun to watch.

Because it also incorporates parts of the original books, as well as some entirely new material, this stage musical version of the much-loved movie doesn’t follow said movie entirely. Some elements are dropped, some characters are added, and a few parts of the plot are changed including where some of the songs come in and what’s happening at the time.

And in several key ways, the resulting story is better developed than the movie. For example, the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Banks are much more fleshed out, and making them more complex and real only helps. So does adding a character like Miss Andrew, the tyrannical nanny who’s the complete opposite of Mary Poppins.

But none of that would matter if it wasn’t a first-rate production, which the Croswell’s version most definitely is.

Preview: 'Mary Poppins' begins three weekends at Croswell Opera House

For one thing, the cast is exceptional. I’m so impressed with Amber Woollcott, who’s absolutely stunning in the title role. She plays Mary with every bit of the look, poise, and occasional sass you could possibly want, and she has a beautiful voice that’s completely up to the show’s vocal demands. “Practically perfect in every way” is one of Mary’s classic lines (and in the stage production, that becomes its own song), and no doubt about it, Woollcott embodies that line wholeheartedly.

And Shonn Wiley as Bert?

For us longtime Croswell theatergoers, it’s just so much fun to see Wiley back on that stage in an acting role for the first time in several years. And he hasn’t lost an ounce of his considerable talents or onstage charm; he brings such grace and perfection and a rock-solid performance to the role of Bert. Even simply the way he exits the stage after a scene has that little extra something, which is why he’s the performer he is.

Top-notch performances also come from the actors comprising the Banks family.

Ashley Fox and Molly Humphries are terrific as Mr. and Mrs. Banks. Because Mrs. Banks especially is such a caricature in the film version, it’s really nice to see her as a real person with a real story in the stage musical, and Humphries captures all that humanness and depth of emotion perfectly. So does Fox as his character undergoes the transformation that’s so essential to the plot.

And Sophia Bernard and Adrian Stukey are really impressive as Jane and Michael. Each of them plays their respective role with great poise and plenty of talent.

As for the supporting cast, there’s not anything less than a fine performance from any of them. Just to mention a few people, because the list of actors doing great work is such a lengthy one, Jessica Dougherty is fantastic as Mrs. Brill the housekeeper, and Julia Hoffert is an absolute hoot as Miss Andrew. And Leigh Jewett is magnificent as the Bird Woman.

Director Erin Pifer had a vision for this show that is nothing short of stunning to watch unfold onstage. She brings the story, with all its energy and color and joy, perfectly to life, and her concept is only made better by the amazing work of the rest of the show’s creative team.

It’s really interesting to see how the production numbers are staged. They start out relatively small, then as more and more singers and dancers from the superb ensemble get added it all becomes an explosion of color and music and Jodi Hissong’s extraordinary (and very complex) choreography. The end result is merrily exuberant every time.

Doug Miller provides the production’s set design, and the result is very complete, looks terrific, and does everything it should in terms of how it has to move through the massive number of scene changes in this show. Karl Kasischke’s projections add a lot to the magic and give the show a whole new level of creativity.

Music director Ray Novak and a solid orchestra do a really nice job with the music, and vocal director Virginia Stewart has done great work with the cast.

A special shout-out simply must go to costume designer Pam Krage, who has outfitted the cast in a breathtaking array (and number) of costumes that range from the iconic looks of Mary and Bert, through all the period-correct dresses and suits, to the colorfully bizarre in the cases of Mrs. Corry and the denizens of her magical sweetshop.

And a huge round of applause, too, to stage manager Erin Couch and the crew that has to make all the hugely complicated technical work happen, from scene changes to flying people around. On opening night, everything pretty much went exactly as it should have, and the fact that the show flows so smoothly from a technical standpoint is definitely no small feat.

That opening night show had a small glitch in the special effect that unfolds in the kitchen scene, and in several cases the follow spots should have been more solidly where they needed to be when they needed to be there, but those are such minor issues in the whole scheme of things and nothing that won’t be cleaned up in subsequent performances.

At around three hours’ running time (although it doesn’t seem like it because it all flows so well and there’s so much to hold one’s interest), the show is a little on the long side for small kids, but they’ll still love everything that takes place onstage. By any measure, this is a great thing for families to enjoy together.

And, also by any measure, “Mary Poppins” is the Croswell at its best. “Practically perfect in every way” doesn’t just apply to Mary Poppins the character. It also describes this production of the show that bears her name.

If you go

WHAT: “Mary Poppins”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20

WHERE: Croswell Opera House, 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian

TICKETS: $22-$44 for adults, $15-$25 for students

HOW TO ORDER: By calling 517-264-7469 or online at croswell.org

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Review: 'Mary Poppins' at Croswell Opera House