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The Knowing of Mary Poppins takes the audience on a unique and magical journey into the life and imagination of P.L. Travers, the Queensland-born writer of Mary Poppins.
Before the Disney version tamed Mary Poppins, the original character was a study in contradictions. The real Mary Poppins was comforting and threatening; conventional and peculiar; down to earth and literally out of this world. Travers herself was as contradictory as her heroine and lived her life in a way that propelled her from one extreme to another. She remade herself countless times. Throughout her life she became an actress, a writer of erotic poetry, a journalist and a spiritualist.
The Knowing of Mary Poppins invites the audience into the surreal world of Travers’ imagination where enchantment, magic and fairy tale characters come out to play.
On fairytales Travers wrote they “live in us, endlessly growing, repeating their themes, ringing like great bells. If we forget them, still they are not lost. They go underground, like secret rivers and emerge the brighter for their dark journey”.
The Knowing of Mary Poppins intermingles realistic dramatic scenes with more surreal sequences and is set in a beautiful and heightened theatrical landscape. It combines original material, Travers’ own writings and evocative original music and captivating soundscape.
Travers believed that a woman passes through three phases in her life-time, “nymph”, “mother” and “crone” and three performers play Travers at these different stages. They also play a multitude of characters from Travers’ life, including her succession of gurus, Irish poet George Russell, Walt Disney, G.I. Gurdjieff and of course Mary Poppins herself.
The Knowing of Mary Poppins is the story of a woman who was many people in one. Just when the audience might have her pinned down she steps out of the light to leave them pondering life’s secrets.
“[Director] Mercer’s work manages to captivate her audience and reel them into a world of magical whimsy that celebrates the richness of imagination. This enchanting accomplished work is hands down the best local production of 2005 to date. If you happened to miss it – start kicking yourself now.”
Dan Evans Scene
“…a masterful work of uplifting and enlightening theatre that simply has the audience buzzing with enthusiasm by the end….It truly is an extraordinary piece of theatre …Try not to miss it because you just might, like me, be missing the experience of a lifetime.”
Nigel Munro-Wallis ABC Radio
The Knowing of Mary Poppins has won of three 2007 Matilda Awards (Brisbane Theatre Awards): Margi Brown Ash, the Gold Matilda Award for her performance; Leah Mercer a Silver Matilda Award for direction, and the nest was given a special commendation for producing an outstanding independent production.
Performed by Margi Brown Ash, Stace Callaghan and Jodie Le Vesconte
Directed by Leah Mercer
Written by M. Dorney, L. Mercer, M. B. Ash, S. Callaghan, & C Schmidt
Music Composition by Robert D. Clark
Stage, lighting & costume design by Conan Fitzpatrick
Graphic Design by Michael Baranovic
For more information email Luke Cowling: luke@criticalstages.com.au or phone: 02 9331 310
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