Actors in the upcoming Plymouth High School production of "Mary Poppins" will fly across stage for the first time in school history.
Posted February 19, 2024
Plymouth High School will be presenting “Mary Poppins” as its annual musical March 7-10, featuring some very exciting special effects – including flying characters!
“We are hiring a professional company to come in so that our main characters can fly on stage,” said vocal director Amanda Smith. “We are also using ‘magic’ props and set pieces to make illusions happen.”
“Mary Poppins,” written by Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman, is the story of a family whose children are out of control. When a mysterious young woman appears at their doorstep, the family finds that she’s the answer to their prayers – but in the most peculiar way.
The show is based on the movie of the same name, but yet is quite different, Mrs. Smith said. “At the end of Act 1, the audience will be questioning themselves, because it really takes a left turn to focus more on the family dynamic in Act 2,” she said. “This is a more mature version, in my opinion.”
But she quickly added, “Don't worry – all of the fan favorites like ‘Spoonful of Sugar’ and ‘Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious’ are still in there. There’s still lots of magic to go around!”
A key part of that magic will take the form of characters flying on stage – a first for a PHS production. Mary Poppins (played by Grace Lambert and Jhadan Grucelski) and Bert (played by Zebidiah Schermacher and Max Halle) both will fly.
PHS has hired Vertigo Flying of Illinois, a professional rigging company, to handle the flights and ensure they are safe. Vertigo, which has been in the business since 1991, gives constant input to ANSI, the nonprofit organization that oversees product standards for performer rigging. “They are huge on risk analysis and risk reduction, and are looking to keep performers safe for every production,” Mrs. Smith said.
She expects the flights to add to the magic of the show. “I hope the little kids who come to watch it feel inspired, and we can have at least a couple of ‘wow’ moments from the audience,” she said.
The musical has been months in the making. The name of this year’s show was announced at Homecoming, and auditions were held in November. Acting and dancing rehearsals began in January. The crew began work on the set and the pit band began rehearsals early in February.
The set for “Mary Poppins” is so big that the removable wall behind the stage has been opened so that pieces not being used can be stored in the adjoining Amphitheatre.
Nearly 100 students and 9 staff members are involved in the production, which is double-cast to allow more students a chance to be on stage. The PHS Technical Education department is building specialty set pieces, and PHS art students are helping with set painting.
“We knew that to put on a show of this caliber it would cost more than the average show, but we have done a good job saving up over the past decade – and have the talent from the students, a great directing staff, and the budget to put on an amazing show,” Mrs. Smith said.
Performances will begin at 7 p.m. nightly from Thursday March 7 through Saturday March 9, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday March 10, in the school auditorium, 125 S. Highland Ave. Reserved-seating tickets are $10 and are available from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the PHS office (enter Door 1G), as well as at the door.
Learn more:
• Explore The Arts section of our interactive, award-winning District Report Card to learn more about the extensive and varied performance opportunities available to our students.
