Coleytown Company at Coleytown Middle School Presents 'Mary Poppins' in April

By Karen Driscoll

Join Mary Poppins, chimney sweep Bert and the Banks family on an enchanting and magical adventure set in London in 1910. After the precocious Banks children send yet another nanny packing, Mary arrives at their door just in time to bring the family closer together. Mary teaches them that despite obstacles and appearances, “anything can happen if you let it.”

With beloved and irresistible songs, such as “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” a moving storyline, captivating dance numbers, Broadway-quality special effects and flying, “Mary Poppins” is sure to dazzle audiences. In fact, it is the most elaborate production Coleytown Company has produced to-date, even requiring an expanded stage.

Benjamin Frimmer (Artistic Director of Coleytown Company) brings a finely tuned creative vision to this multifaceted production, having directed the show at Curtain Call in Stamford in the fall. “Mary Poppins” uses set pieces from that Curtain Call show and benefits from the involvement of several members of its production team, including Stage Manager Tommy DeSalvo, Set Designer Peter Barbieri, Costume Designer Meg Ormond and Assistant Choreographer Daniela Sawyer.

Mr. Frimmer is overseeing a cast and crew of nearly 100 middle school students and a production team that includes seasoned theater professionals. Michelle Berti, a veteran Broadway performer, is working alongside professional actors Julia Maggiola and Ms. Sawyer with the middle school cast. They are choreographing the show’s numerous and large-scale dance numbers, which range in style from jazz to tap to ballet and many more. The production is also fortunate to have veteran musical director Lynn Riegler working with the cast as Vocal Coach.

Mr. Frimmer says that while “many high schools are tackling this complex production, very few middle schools in the country are.” He notes that “the sets are huge, the locations vast,” and that the acting, vocals and dances are “very challenging.” Additionally, the world-renowned flying company ZFX is being brought in to oversee the show’s flying and special effects. Yet, as Mr. Frimmer notes, with all of the production’s elements, “the flying is almost the easy part.”

Many of Mr. Frimmer’s colleagues echo his sentiments and have been impressed by the student’s dedication and desire to rise to the challenges inherent in such a big musical. Ms. Riegler has found that while “the score is very challenging for anyone—especially middle schoolers,” the students have been “fearless and willing to work hard at it.”

Ms. Berti says that she and Ms. Maggiola have found that the cast has a strong sense of “commitment and discipline.” She adds that Mr. Frimmer’s team is “one of the most collaborative, supportive and professional middle school” programs that she has ever worked with. This excellent collaboration has no doubt been instrumental in putting on what Mr. DeSalvo calls “an extremely challenging feat.”

Based on the books by P.L Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins” delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Oliver and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Don’t miss Coleytown Company’s Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious production!

Performance Schedule:

Thursday, April 7, at 7:00 pm

Friday, April 8, at 7:00 pm

Saturday, April 9, at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm

Performance Location:

Coleytown Middle School Auditorium

255 North Avenue

Westport, CT 06880

Tickets available online starting Friday, March 18th at: showtix4u.com

(search term "Coleytown")

Tickets are $12.00 plus processing fee

For further information please contact:

Sarah Keiser at (203) 341-1666

Photo: From left, Nina Driscoll (Jane Banks), Oliver D'Anna (Michael Banks) and Anella Lefebvre (Mary Poppins). Photo credit: Moira Lynch