The Gorham High School (GHS) theater department has been working hard to make sure that this year’s musical is ready to take the stage. With just a few weeks left until opening night, the cast and crew are perfecting musical numbers and ironing out the little details to turn “Mary Poppins” into one of their best shows yet.
The musical adaptation is similar to the movie many have watched on the big screen. Mary Poppins, a whimsical nanny, arrives at the Banks household and teaches the kids about the world around them. The musical pays a bit more attention to the parents, George and Winifred Banks, in an attempt to highlight some of the unspoken struggles of parenthood.
“It’s a revamped version of the classic musical!” said Maddie Downey, a senior at GHS, “There are two smaller plot points in the musical version that don’t exist in the movie, but I won’t spoil them. There are also a few new songs.”
Downey is taking on the lead of Mary Poppins herself. She has been involved in the Gorham theater department since middle school, and is looking forward to performing in “Mary Poppins,” her last GHS musical.
Photo credit: Joshua HurdCOVID-19 is still having an impact on cast numbers, but director Joshua Hurd was flexible in adapting to what he had to work with. While this show typically calls for a larger cast of around 40, GHS will be performing it with a group of roughly 20 high schoolers and two middle schoolers, playing the children.
“Everyone has come together to make this show as good as it is,” said Downey, “despite the fact that many people are relatively new to theater.”
The show is sure to be a very exciting one. “During several scenes, Mary and/ or Bert have to fly, which is a new challenge to work through for the cast and crew.” They have also decided to use the original Broadway choreography for “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
“Mary Poppins” will be performed in the GHS auditorium during the first two weekends of next month. The dates are as follows: Fridays; Feb. 3 and 10 at 7 p.m., Saturdays; Feb. 4 and 11 at 7 p.m., and Sundays; Feb. 5 and 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets are selling fast, so mark your calendars and get excited to watch what is sure to be an incredible show.