Mary Poppins Jr

Sunday, May 3rd, Frank and I took Alex to see a local children's production of Mary Poppins Jr at the Firehouse Arts Center in our neighboring town of Pleasanton.

Our tickets were close to the stage, about three rows back. Front row seats were available but Frank and I wanted to be considerate in case Alex's utterances might throw off the young actors. Our fears were unfounded. The young well-trained actors were non-plussed and Alex was on his best theatre behavior.

The show followed the script of the Broadway show more so than the Disney movie. There are new songs and a variant plot line so not all was as familiar to Alex and we would have liked. A local newspaper had a review of the Mary Poppins Jr show in which it cited the show had 31 songs, an unusually large number for the young actors to memorize and perform. Alex clapped enthusiastically through SuperCaliFragilisticExpialiDocious and Chim-Chiminy Chim-Chiminy Chim-Chim Cheroo. He acknowledged Feed the Birds but the rest of the songs fell sort of flat with him. 

After the show we went to the upper level and looked down at the hubbub in the lobby area from the bridge above. Alex liked transversing the bridge. It was also fun to see parents and friends congratulating the actors after their final show.

Every outing is a success, some more than others. This rendition of Mary Poppins did not tickle as many familiarity strings as we would have liked but this was no fault of the performance itself. The young actors did an excellent job. There was a lot of talent among those adolescents. We are glad we went. The experience of watching a junior production with adolescent actors also prepared Frank and me to watch a future junior production when our granddaughter would perform in Legally Blond Jr a few weeks later. Younger actors and singers in no way means a less than stellar performance. Support your local community shows. There is fantastic entertainment to be enjoyed at very budget friendly ticket prices.