When Mary Poppins hit theaters in 1964, Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke became two of Disney’s biggest stars.
Their iconic performances as the titular character and the jack-of-all-trades Bert have endured for more than half a century.
Today, Bearden students are putting in the work to make these characters their own.
Bearden’s Natalie Newman and Eli Solomon have worked tirelessly to embody these famous roles.
“They both basically are workhorses,” Bearden theatre teacher Mrs. Lauren Andrejko said. “They know that this is not something that can just happen. You have to put in the work, you have to put in the homework, you have to do the research.”
Both of these actors have researched their roles in order to play them the best they can while also incorporating their own characteristics.
“I love Julie Andrews and how she plays Mary Poppins, so I really just took small little elements and thought, ‘How would I do it?’” Newman said.
Added Solomon: “It’s different from anything I’ve ever done, and it’s been a challenge to kind of adapt to that but it’s been lovely.”
This year, Bearden theatre is putting on a show that is not just a musical, but actually started as a book series that was adapted to the screen as a movie before becoming a musical.
“You have to figure out elements of the book and the movie before you kind of figure out the musical,” Newman said. “There’s a lot of similar elements but it’s very different.”
Mary Poppins will open Thursday at 7 p.m. There are two shows on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the show closes Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on beardentheatre.com.
“Everybody knows what Mary Poppins is, everybody knows who Dick Van Dyke is, so there’s different expectations that people have whenever they watch the musical,” Solomon said. “It’s been difficult, but it’s been a challenge that we have been rising up to so I’m excited to let people see it.”
Both actors have also found qualities about their characters that they truly enjoy getting the opportunity to play.
“I love how sweet and caring [Bert] is and how much he genuinely is around and cares for the kids and all the other characters in the show,” Solomon said. “I love how much he dances in the show too; it’s really fun.”
Added Newman: “I think my favorite part about the role is just being able to live in and play this character that so many people know and so many people love and getting to make her my own, but also keeping elements that Julie Andrews had and seeing elements that people on broadway had and combining them with my own and just making it like a magical character that everyone knows and loves and can sing along to.”
A new element the musical has incorporated this year is tap dance. Newman had some experience with tap dance, having participated in seven years of dance.
Solomon, on the other hand, had a new skill to learn.
“I was completely a beginner,” he said. “I would say I’m about intermediate right now. Completely learned just with everybody else and just practiced as much as I could.”
These actors have also really stepped up and taken leadership roles within the theatre program by setting an example for the rest of the cast in their skill and work ethic.
“You can’t be lazy and do this well,” Mrs. Andrejko said. “They both are setting the bar very high for everyone else, and the expectations of what it looks like to lead a show and to have a show on your shoulders.”