Mary Poppins tour: 'humdinger' of a show kicks off at Bristol Hippodrome

"There's no 'practically' about it, 'Mary Poppins' at the Bristol Hippodrome is completely and utterly perfect," said Ellie Kendall in Bristol Live. Two decades since its worldwide debut on "this very stage", Cameron Mackintosh's musical adaptation of P.L. Travers' book and the 1964 Disney film is back.

There's plenty that is "Christmas-pertinent" about the production, said Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph. This is a "fable about a careworn city banker who redemptively discovers the value of putting humanity first and remembers that the most precious commodity is his family". But the show also has a "year-round medicinal benefit", with its "irresistible" invitation to "throw cares aside and reclaim your inner child".

Bob Crowley's sets are "beautiful to behold" – expect "smoking chimneys, picture-book flourishes and splashes of hallucinogenic colour". And while it's a "slightly different beast" from the film, the production has the added benefit of providing "real-time thrills".

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It's a "humdinger of a show", said Kris Hallett in What's On Stage. "Magic" pours through "every well-choreographed frame", proving the books are truly "timeless". The talented creative team delivers the "spectacle" the audience will expect with numbers like "Step In Time", a "seven-minute tap tour de force that builds up to a mammoth crescendo", and the "technicolour jamboree of 'Jolly Holiday'".

Remarkably, the stage adaptation takes the classic Disney film and "improves upon it", developing the characters in a way the movie wasn't able to. "Mary Poppins may bring a spoonful of sugar to the Banks household, but there are real-life traumas to tackle."

Mackintosh has assembled "the kind of tour cast that only his nous can". Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers are "true triple threats" as Mary Poppins and Bert the chimney sweep, making their singing, acting and dancing "look easy".

The children are also "terrific", added Patrick Marmion in the Daily Mail. And Patti Boulaye "haunts the show" with her portrayal of the Bird Woman. Of course, the show's "illusions still defy the eye", with Mary's carpet bag expelling its "improbable cargo of standard lamps, potted plants and a tea set".

Touring shows don't always fare well but "Mary Poppins" has "somehow got better on the road". It's "joyful" to watch.

"This is still a Rolls-Royce of a production," wrote Hallett. The "love, skill and time" taken over every element is clear to see. The creative team was under enormous pressure to "match what is for most people a huge part of their childhood". Arguably, this latest iteration of "Mary Poppins" will be remembered as the "finest work any of them has produced".

Until 30 November at Bristol Hippodrome, then touring until November 2025