Mary Poppins in the Forest

This year Sway Drama are playing a part in the town's Carnival celebrations, and have written their own story version of Mary Poppins in the Forest, based on the original characters from the P.L Travers story and film of Mary Poppins. 

The play starts with the Narrator Pauline Combes, setting the scene 'reading' from a large story book sat in a chair in the audience at the front of the stage in the corner. 

The curtains open to the Banks family nursery in their summer home in the Forest. Jane Banks is played by Penny Collins & Michael Banks by Max Robinson,  they work very well together as brother and sister, and Penny has a nice singing voice singing a song unaccompanied. 

Mrs Banks is played by Sara Yarwood & Mr Banks by Colin Bailey they too work nicely together.

Mary Poppins arrives on the scene, convincingly played by Clare Collins, complete with bird umbrella. She quickly takes charge. Bert doubles up as Robertson the Gardener played by Mark Ralston and there's a nice touch of Willoughby the dog played by Wigwam definitely the ahhh factor. 

There are lots of different people they meet along the way, including a Policeman, Verderer, Maid, Lord Mayor, Mrs Lark, Professor and even a Crocodile. Everyone plays their individual characters really well. You can tell everyone is enjoying themselves and it really comes across to the audience. Complete with singing and movement. The costumes are all just right.

Act two we meet the three Princesses who come out of a story book that the children are reading, but it turns out the Princesses know everyone, as the adults start to remember them from when they were children.

Princess Verity is played by Emma Lucas, and Princesses Bella & Amee are played by Esmie & Rosie May, they all look lovely in their dresses. They are looking after a magic Unicorn, which was cleverly done using animation by David Forgham-Bailey. This was a great touch to the show. 

Other technical effects with lightning, sound and different animation are handled by Simon Hanney, Archie Collins and Alex Yarwood. The carnival theme is animation and the society wanted to try something different which they achieved with this show.

Well done to everyone involved. 

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