The last time Mary Poppins parachuted in on the east wind onto Rainbow Stage was in 2013, when its current star was part of the ensemble.
Since that time, Colleen Furlan –– who is stepping under the umbrella as Mary –– has played so many iconic Rainbow Stage roles, from Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2014), adult Cosette in Les Misérables (2015), and most recently, Maureen in last summer’s production of Rent.
Now in her 11th Rainbow Stage production, Furlan co-stars with Joema Frith (who was a joy last year in The Little Mermaid as Sebastian), while the cast of Rainbow Stage favourites also includes local child actors Davison Gee and Isla Horner as the Banks children.
The production itself –– directed by Alexandra Herzog, with music direction/conduction by Andrew St. Hilaire and choreography by Josh Assor ( a Broadway regular) –– will of course be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, with all the sing-a-long-able numbers complimented with energetic dance routines and costumes that are so bright they radiate on stage.
“You can expect amazing songs, nostalgia from watching this incredible movie that we all grew up with, and incredible dance numbers,” said Herzog during the last dress rehearsal.
“There's magic. There’s flying. There are some beautiful, heartfelt moments. There really is something for absolutely everyone,” continued Herzog, noting this production has, “breathed new life into the original source material of PL Travers.”
In the interview below,* we meet stars Colleen Furlan, Davison Gee and Isla Horner, as the actors tell us why this production, this experience, and Rainbow Stage in general are as magical as Miss Poppins herself.
***
Colleen, you’ve already had such a storied career with Rainbow Stage, what’s it like to be taking on another iconic role as Mary Poppins?
CF: It's such a special moment to come full circle with my time here at the stage. I watched Paula Potosky play Mary the first time, and I knew that I wanted to play her one day too. She's a character that I've loved since I was a child. I think Mary Poppins was probably one of the first movies that I ever saw, and I was very inspired by it, especially the music.
How demanding is this role?
CF: Mary is such a cool character. She gets to do so many things and I think this is one of the toughest roles I have taken on. She sings, she dances, she flies, she acts, she has children in most of her scenes with her, which is so cool because I learn from them every day. It's very special.
I've actually never done a show where I've carried an accent for the whole show before. So that's another element on top of everything else. It's kind of like it’s all thrown in and bundled up as Mary Poppins, and she has to do it all flawlessly, which means I have to do it flawlessly as Colleen! It's a great challenge, but I'm really loving it, and I feel super supported by our team here.
What keeps you coming back to Rainbow Stage?
CF: The people! They just do fantastic shows. The ones that they pick are so great. I can't believe that I can work with so many down to earth people who are also just equally as talented.
It boggles my mind how much talent we have in this city, on and behind the scenes of the stage. I've worked in several other places, and Winnipeg is just truly special. I encourage more people to come and see things, whether they've been here before, whether they haven't –– I think it's time that they come join us.
Davison, last time I saw you on this stage was two years ago in The Hockey Sweater – and you were hilarious! – while this past year you were in The Sound of Music at Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. What’s it like being back with the Rainbow Stage family?
DG: It feels like I'm back home. I feel so much more professional and mature in my acting skills, and I'm really happy to be back.
What song or moment are you looking forward to most, and what’s your favourite part of this production?
DG: Probably “A Spoonful of Sugar.” That's one of my favourites. There's a lot of magic involved, and it will be exciting for people of all ages. It will entertain you for sure, so come support us.
Can you ever see your family members from onstage, and is that distracting?
Not really. You need to focus on what you're doing and focus on the play, and then at the end, during the bows, they're all cheering for you and clapping.
It's just a sigh of relief [when the curtain comes down] and joy that we've put in so many hours of effort and work into this production.
Isla, this is your very first Rainbow Stage production!
IH: This is my first Rainbow Stage production. I've never done like a musical like this before, so it's very exciting!
You’re a dancer I’ve read, how did you get involved with this musical?
IH: I’ve danced at the Shelly Shearer School of Dance since I was a three, and somebody who really inspired me is my musical theatre teacher –– Joseph Sevillo. He is the creator and director of Ma-Buhay! [which had its world-premiere last month on Rainbow Stage] which was an amazing one as well.
And I’ve been watching Rainbow Stage shows since I was so little, and I just always wanted to be in one. Mary Poppins is one of my favourite musicals, so once I found out that they were doing it, I was, ‘oh my gosh, I would love to do that.’ So, I tried out.
What are you most excited about?
IH: Honestly everything, but one of my favourites is definitely “Supercal.” It's just such a fun number because it has everything. It's just kind of like a wonderland.
Why should we all go see Mary Poppins this month on Rainbow Stage?
IH: You’re going to experience everything from laughing to crying. This is just an amazing show that has amazing dances and amazing singing and just everything that you could ask for.
Mary Poppins runs on Rainbow Stage in beautiful Kildonan Park from August 15 to September 1. For tickets and production times, click here.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
