Delivering a ‘Practically Perfect’ ‘Mary Poppins’

William Schatte and Maggie Eggen see how “Mary Poppins” has and continues to work its way into our culture.

The mention of the magical nanny’s name conjures iconic images from the classic, Academy-Award winning 1964 Disney movie of legendary entertainers Julie Andrews singing “A Spoonful of Sugar” to children Jane and Michael Banks, and Dick Van Dyke delivering a “chim chim cher-ee” as Bert alongside Poppins while atop the homes of 1910 London.

The progressive silver screen hit also cheerfully discussed social issues relevant to the time it premiered. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act banned employment discrimination based on sex, and Mrs. Banks paraded through the streets singing about “political equality and equal rights with men.” Poppins showed ways of raising children that are grounded in structure and organization, but also filled with fun.

Its catchy songs, timeless characters and life lessons impacted its audiences. The theatrical production of “Mary Poppins” that premiered in England and was popularized on Broadway in the early 2000s embodied those same things but delved deeper into each of the characters like the series of eight books by author P.L. Travers which it was based. From Aug. 9-11, The Little Theatre will bring that enhanced tale to the Miller Performing Arts Center’s stage.

“The stage play allows for more relatable moments. I feel like even though people might know the story, they may not know how they are going to relate to it until they get there and see the show,” said Schatte, who is co-directing with Eggen. “I think that you have to see it, and bring your kids. … They learn valuable lessons about how to treat your parents with respect, and to value other people before yourself. … If you can tell a story that has a redemption value that you can relate to something other than an entertainment basis, that is gold. I think Mary Poppins is just theater gold.”

This is the first time The Little Theatre has produced the musical “Mary Poppins,” but that is not by accident.

“We had not done ‘Mary Poppins’ and it was because we never had a Mary,” added Eggen, who first acted at The Little Theatre as Ursula in “Little Mermaid” in 2016.

Then Eggen met the Schatte family. Moving to Jefferson City nearly two years ago, Schatte and wife Karin have been involved in theater most of their lives. Schatte directed school theater for the last 21 years and Karin also has directed the last 10 years and taught acting classes while the family lived in Austin, Texas.

Schatte decided to audition for The Little Theatre’s production of “Annie,” then encouraged his two daughters and Karin to do the same. Schatte got the role of radio show announcer Bert Healy and Karin scored one of the principal roles as Oliver Warbucks’ faithful secretary Grace Farrell.

“When Karin came last year and did Grace, there was a lot of talk amongst us that we have got our Mary,” Eggen added.

During open casting calls in April, a lot of people auditioned, particularly for the comedic Bert (played by Josh Lehto), and Poppins. However, with Schatte respectively removing himself from the title role’s selection for an unbiased decision by their audition panel, Karin was selected and ecstatic to play a role that has long since been on her bucket list.

“I grew up watching the movie and Julie Andrews is just one of my favorite actresses and singers of all time, so to be able to set into a role she has played so well is amazing,” Karin said.

Even though “Mary Poppins” has been a favorite story in the Schatte household, Karin delved into researching who Mary Poppins truly was, knowing this role in the stage production was much more than the movie.

“I watched all kinds of documentaries on P.L. Travers … and read the first four Mary Poppins books to understand the depth of Mary,” Karin said. “The stage play adds so much more depth to all the characters because it tells more of the story.”

Eggen also shared that Mary Poppins is “a little vain and manipulative” in Travers’ books and in the play. As Schatte pointed out, this story itself is often misunderstood.

“People often miss that it is not all about the children and not just about Mary Poppins. It is really about the redemption of the family,” he said. “Mr. Banks plays a huge role and so does Mrs. Banks, and their journey throughout this whole story is very intriguing.”

Chris Kennison, a seasoned local actor playing Mr. Banks alongside Kira Rutter as Mrs. Banks, agrees his and his wife’s storylines are a big part of the stage production.

“It is definitely more complex than the movie and (Mr. Banks) is probably the most complex character in the play,” he said. “His character changes throughout the play. He is addicted to his work and thinks he has to be addicted to his work. Little by little, he realizes that there is more important things he should be focusing on.”

New songs help tell these stories, creating that character depth to the plot, Eggen said. Karin enjoys many of the classic songs portrayed in the film like “A Spoonful of Sugar,” but she also likes introducing audiences to new Poppins’ tunes, such as Mary’s “Practically Perfect” song with the Banks children.

“It is after she measures the children, and they ask her, ‘What is your measurement Mary Poppins?’ She says ‘I’m practically perfect.’ Her song goes on to talk about how she is “practically perfect” and how she hopes the children will be practically perfect by the time she leaves them,” Karin said, noting that is the first time the audience sees Mary Poppins’ magic.

Eggen said one of the lessons characters learn is reflected in the title of one lesser known “Mary Poppins” song: “Anything Can Happen.”

“One of the lessons that doesn’t come out in the Disney show is that belief in yourself,” Eggen said, noting that is explained in the song. “All that magic that Mary Poppins brought was within everyone. It was there, but they just needed help tapping it.”

With additional guidance from musical directors Brandon Sankpill and choreographer Natalie Wittenberger, the 30-plus cast delivers these new favorites and known classics, such as “Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag),” “Step in Time!” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

“And for those of you who are fans of dancing penguins, that is not happening here. We do have some unique dancing characters replacing the penguins,” Schatte added as both directors laughed.

The cast and crew also ranges in ages from 8 years old to close to 70, and many full families join in The Little Theatre’s productions such as the Newberrys, who are the productions technical backbone and have roles in the musical, Schatte said.

“In this show, it is fun that so many families are involved, like Chris and his son are in the show, my whole family and the Wells family,” Karin said. “There is a lot of family going on within our big Little Theatre family, so it is ‘practically perfect.’”

“Mary Poppins” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9-11, with a 2 p.m. matinee also set for Aug. 11. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 573-681-9400 or visit tltjc.org.