By Nick Mabey.
This show is practically perfect In every way!
Wow. Where to start? Mary Poppins flew into Southampton this week for a thirty-performance stint at the Mayflower Theatre. Southampton is the seventh city to host this extraordinary show in a tour that began in Bristol in late 2024 and will finish in Liverpool in early 2026.
The scale and ambition of the show is breathtaking and it’s almost impossible to believe that only four days elapsed between deconstructing the set in Birmingham and first night at the Mayflower Theatre. The scenery is changing almost constantly between street, park, downstairs in 17 Cherry Tree Lane, upstairs, on the roofs of London, in the bank and outside St. Paul’s Cathedral. Each location is magnificent, using a combination of physical sets and multimedia, and the arrival and departure of huge edifices happened seamlessly in and around the action. And if you know Mary Poppins at all, you’ll know she’s capable of magic, which meant things happen on stage that defy believability.
When a review starts with the scenery it’s often a worrying sign for the performance itself, but fear not, on the night I attended, the show itself was magnificent and the crowd, who were quietly in awe at the start, went rapturously wild during the second act. When I interviewed cast member Darcy Finden (read here) she had described a show that was true to the original 2004 production, and while this was correct, the 2025 version was somehow more…more…well supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!! That song itself, set in Mrs Corry’s surreal shop in the park, featuring the whole cast in a lengthened, heightened extravaganza, was worth the admission price itself.
But if I had to single out one routine for special mention it would be Step in Time. If you read my interview you’ll know I’m biased and why, but I feel like I could write a whole review on this song (don’t worry I won’t). The tune itself is very straightforward and the lyrics simple, but there is something epic about the way it started and built, and then ebbed and flowed whilst slowing climbing to a crescendo, that was very emotional. Thirty chimney sweeps stepping in time in the most incredible way, led by the mercurial Bert, played with great verve by Jack Chambers. It was a deeply moving experience, which these words do little justice to.
If you don’t know the plot I won’t reveal it here, but this production clearly shows it working on two levels. Above everything ‘it’s a jolly holiday with Mary’. A raucously funny, beautifully told story of a magical lady arriving into the lives of the Banks family. Our eponymous heroine leads the cast through an enjoyable romp. Poppins was played magnificently by Stefanie Jones, who seemed – like the character she played – to move effortlessly through proceedings, never missing a cue, singing and dancing with a grace and twinkle that was a joy to watch.
The second level on which this production focuses – far more than the film in my view – is about some more social and political themes. There was a distinctly contemporary feel to the referencing of greed, misogyny, wealth inequality, gender repression, stereotyping and even child abuse. These themes were tackled subtly and not in a preaching manner, but they were present and actually very topical. At the heart of this was George Banks, played by Michael Xavier (channelling John Cleese in a very engaging way). Mr Banks’ narrative arc is the most noticeable in the story and here we saw great pathos as Mary’s presence caused him to grapple with his role and identity both within the family and at work. It made me think we could do with a few Poppins’ interventions now.
I don’t want to leave you with the idea this was some sort of David Hare play. Above everything else Mary Poppins is a noisy, colourful, rambunctious, heart-lifting romp around Victorian London with songs that have stood the test of time, dancing that was mesmerising and a set that was frankly astonishing.
Tickets for Mary Poppins (Wednesday 27 August – Sunday 21 September2025) are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
Main image by Danny Kaan.
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