ORANGE — All theater productions come with unique challenges for those involved. But of the 20 or so that Julie Bouchard has directed at Ralph C. Mahar Regional School, “Mary Poppins Jr.” is the first to incorporate an element that is key to that story — British accents.
“It’s definitely been different,” said sophomore Evan Piscitello, who plays the lovable chimney sweep Bert. “But practicing for the auditions definitely made it easier, and then just incorporating them as much as possible.”
Rehearsals began at the start of the school year in September and six performances are scheduled for the Mahar auditorium over two weekends. Shows will start at 7 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 21 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 15, 16, 22 and 23. Bouchard said the show runs about 90 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission. General admission tickets for all shows are $15 and can be purchased at: tinyurl.com/MaharMaryPoppins.
“I think it’s fun for the kids because they had to learn accents for this, which they’ve never had to before,” Bouchard said. “So we’ve had several rehearsals on language and how to speak correctly. [Bert] has the Cockney accent; Mary, of course, [is] more posh.”
Audrey Elwood, a junior, is playing Poppins, who she grew up watching in the famous 1964 Disney film.
“I’ve sort of worked with accents in the past. I’ve worked with accents similar to this,” she said, “and … watching Julie Andrews [who played the character in the film] and listening to her sing helps me a lot so that I see the things that she picks up on, see the way that she talks and then take into account that.
“I always liked how [Mary Poppins] was just magical,” Elwood continued. “She just brought happiness to everyone with just a snap of her finger.”
Julie Montemor and Jacob Piscitello, Evan’s younger brother, play the main family’s children, Jane and Michael Banks, who write an advertisement for a nanny.
“Things are going great. We have a great cast,” Bouchard said. “This is our second fall show — so last year we implemented two shows a year. This is our second one. Last year was ‘Aladdin.’ And it’s going great. Our cast is a little bigger this year — a lot of returning people that are going to be very familiar.”
The older Piscitello, who played the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” in the spring, said he most loves the evolution of how Mr. Banks, the children’s father, treats his family throughout the story. He also said Bert is a great character.
“I love him. He’s so much fun. He’s so charming, and just effortlessly,” he said. “It feels good.”
Plays with the “Jr.” suffix are adapted for younger performers and typically are shorter in length, consist of fewer songs and come with a CD of all musical accompaniment.
“But everything that the original ‘Mary Poppins’ references is pretty much in the junior version — along with song selection, scene selection — but just shorter,” she said. “All the familiar tunes will be there.”
Rehearsals started at the beginning of the school year. Auditions were held at the end of the previous school year so the young thespians could study scripts over the summer.
“The kids need an audience. They’re ready. They need an applause,” Bouchard said. “They are more than ready to perform.”
The Ralph C. Mahar Regional School’s theater department is working on a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious rendition of “Mary Poppins Jr.” that is set to open next week.
