Review: Maija Poppanen
Mary Poppins brings magic to the City Theatre
Written by Julian Fellows , this version of P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins turns the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre into a fairytale land where anything is possible.
A lot happens in Katariina Kirjavainen’s glorious sets. Mary Poppins once again makes the audience believe that there really is magic in theatre. However, the performance does not turn into mere trickery.
Mary Poppins is a play with a story that carries on. The fact that the original story and the film version are quite familiar to many age groups also contributes to this. At first, however, it feels like the story is not really structured. There is so much of everything on top of each other that the story itself threatens to be undermined. However, after half-time at the latest, Mary Poppins begins to take the audience to such an extent that they fear that the play will end.
Persuasive characters
Mary Poppins, directed by Hans Berndtsson, really brings the characters of the storybooks to life.
Emmi Kangas transforms into such a Maija Poppas-like that it becomes challenging to hold on to her own image. Tuukka Leppänen Perttu is an absolutely sympathetic character. Leppänen’s singing is very much a pleasure to listen to, but at the same time, you can’t help but wonder about his physique. Leppänen dances, sings and climbs along the walls at the same time and seemingly with ease.
However, the greatest delight is provided by Riitta Havukainen, whose Miss Anttonen is absolutely horrible. Havukainen downright feasts on the disgusting features of his character, making the viewer squirm. Yrjö Bank, played by Eero Saarinen , also gets his first warm features when an old nanny in the form of Havukainen arrives in the house. Saarinen’s character is downright repulsive throughout the first half of the play, as is part of the story.
Child actors Alvari Stenbäck and Katariina Rekola also perform their great job well.
Choreographer Rebecca Evanne moves the performers on stage at such a pace that the eye is unable to follow everything that is happening on stage. This is why the choreography offers many surprising and magic-filled scenes.
Musically, Maija Poppanen works well. All the actors can sing and the crowd scenes have a kind of joy of music and movement that is not always self-evident even in musicals. Emmi Kangas and Tove Wingren , who plays Vilma Pankki, sometimes make the viewer shiver with their singing – in a positive sense.
The songs have been beautifully translated into Finnish, and the message does not remain incomplete. In the end, Mary Poppins is a timeless story about children and parents and what family really means.
Mary Poppins is not a play for small children. The almost three-hour play becomes too fast-paced and exciting for the little ones.