The high school put on four amazing performances of Mary Poppins March 9-11. When asked, many students felt that, while the show had more elements than last year’s showing of “Shrek”, production was much more seamless.

“This year we didn’t face many issues. Just small tech stuff, but that’s about it! This group worked really well with each other and bonded almost immediately,” said senior Alana Weirbach. Weirbach played the role of Mary Poppins in the musical. “This performance really excels in reaching every different audience member. This show will brighten everyone’s day.”

This year’s musical included elements such as quick changing scenes, stars on the ceiling, and flying. As opposed to the past two musicals, “Shrek” and “Little Women”, there was a much better use of backdrops, props, and costume design. 

“I love the fly system. You can’t have Mary Poppins not fly! It’s like having no spinach for Popeye, or no cheese on a pizza. And, how many times in your life do you get to say that you flew?” commented Weirbach.  Weirbach and junior Eli Jones, playing Bert, both received the chance to fly during the performance.

“My favorite memory is when Eli and I got training for flying. Of course it was on Valentine’s Day, so we couldn’t exactly celebrate that with our loved ones, but we got really yummy food and THEN began to get terrified of the system. But our trainer was SO nice, and down to earth too,” Weirbach shared. 

This year’s production included a new director too.  Felicia Stone, a special education teacher at the high school, received high praise from students, faculty, and audience members. 

“Mrs. Stone has been one of my top favorite directors EVER. She’s so inclusive, and awesome, and so human. She has a baby and a toddler and we were STILL her priority! Opposed to last year, our production team built an even better set! We’ve got bubbles, fog, flying, flipping, and splits…what else could you want?” added Weirbach.

“This production has so many great aspects. The amount of talented singers and dancers on our stage was fantastic! We all gave it our all and more. That’s what I think we all excelled at,” said sophomore Maddie Janis. Janis played the role of Jane Banks in the musical.

The cast was well put together, students of all grades were assigned to top-billing roles.  In the show, upperclassmen received appropriate attention while there was still a light cast on the underclassmen who have potential for bigger roles in their future productions.

“My favorite memory was when all the cast and crew went on stage at one of the last rehearsals and we had a huge dance party. It was such a great bonding experience and I feel like the cast and crew were truly a family. Mrs. Stone was an awesome director this year. She was very driven and cared about us all!  I feel like there was no major issues,” added Janis.

All in all, the production seemed to be a positive experience for the cast, crew, and audience.  The only question remaining: what do we have to look forward to next year?