Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Photo by Erika Hudspeth

On April 14-16, many people from the Watauga community gathered in the Ross Auditorium at Watauga High School for its annual spring production. This spring, the Watauga High School Theatre put on “Mary Poppins,” directed by Sarah Miller. The show was held at 7 p.m. on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and lasted about 3 hours. “Mary Poppins” was the first show that the Watauga High Theatre program sold out for all three nights before the opening night. A variety of ages were in the audience of “Mary Poppins.” There were many young faces and many “young at heart.” “Mary Poppins” is a Disney movie as well as a Broadway musical that is primarily about family. It is a very well known musical which helped create a rapport and connection with the audience. The lead roles were Ludy Edy as Mary Poppins, RJ Christian as Bert, Jill Turner as Winifred Banks, Jordan Perzel Mandell as George Banks, Rachel Sabo-Hedges as Jane Banks, and Spencer Ball as Michael Banks. Although the whole production took over 100 cast members to pull off. Even the non verbal motions from the lead role to one of the singers at the back of the stage were so intentional and polished. Every facial expression and line made the audience so engrossed in the play. I have never been to a play where the entire audience was that focused and interested in the play. The crew did an amazing job making sure that the audience felt like they were in the story of “Mary Poppins.” Part of the reason that “Mary Poppins” was taken so well by the audience was because every single crew member knew their part so well and looked like they were having the time of their life. I have heard many people say that the scenery, costume, voices, lighting, and acting looked like a professional show. “Mary Poppins” was definitely the best musical that I have ever seen. As I left the theatre, I heard among the crowd, “I cannot believe that that was a high school musical and not a broadway musical.”