MARY POPPINS

To celebrate my Mum's birthday, I took her to watch Mary Poppins at Sydney's Capitol Theatre.

For once, I did not have any expectations with regard to the theatre. When my Mum and I watched The Phantom of the Opera (with Anthony Warlow) for my birthday a couple of years ago, we were both sorely disappointed. I think we expected a little bit too much from the production. We watched The Lion King three times when it ran in Sydney and absolutely adored each moment. Another favourite was Wicked, because of its freshness and vibrancy. Both Wicked and The Lion King had dynamic set and costume designs, as well as an exquisite musical score.

The musical mirrored some elements of the original film with Julie Andrews. What I enjoyed about it was the fact that the theatre production had its own individuality that sets it apart from the screenplay. New musical scores were written to suit the additional scenes that were not in the film. Likewise, I found that the characters' personalities and characteristics were explored a bit more. There was greater substance in them, as well as more points for improvement, which were used quite effectively as a plot development device.

As an aspiring costume designer, I adored the colours and textures that were present on stage. We had a fairly good vantage point, especially from our seats in the Stalls section of the theatre. It was quite fascinating to see how the costume designer for this production adapted historical elements like bustles, trains and peoples' silhouettes to suit the characters. I also enjoyed seeing the set design, which adapted paper folding and doodling to create a sense of playfulness. The set was simple but quite effective, especially in the progression from one scene to the next.

The dancing was impeccable.

My Mum and I had a wonderful night at the theatre. Mary Poppins will be running at the Capitol Theatre for a few more weeks. Tickets may be booked at Ticketmaster.