BIG MOVIE
Mary Poppins Returns054 | W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K
you are going to get to be in it, singing and
dancing with Mary Poppins and dancing on
lamp posts while BMX bikers are riding by
doing stunts and you are balancing a fl aming
stick on the end of your foot? That’s an
audacious dream to have. No, this has been
a l l b e yond.”
After the few years Miranda has had
following the immense success of his hit
Broadway and now West End show Hamilton,
it made complete and utter sense that he
should be cast as Poppins’ kindly all-singing-
and-dancing companion. Miranda is used
to the stage, but the transition to screen has
been thankfully a smooth one.
“The only difference is that you fi nish a
musical number and you have to wait a year
and a half for the applause, as opposed to
the instant gratifi cation of a theatre ovation,”
he laughs. “But that is also the joy of it. We
rehearsed for three months before we started
shooting anything and so I feel spoiled as
a theatre actor sort of transitioning to fi lm,
three months is more than we got to rehearse
Hamilton. Rob comes from the theatre as
well and he really runs it like you are putting
on a musical. And so it’s been very natural
for me and it’s been a very joyous sort of
transition to fi lm. Everyone working here is
sort of the best at what they do.”
Where the original fi lm was set in
Edwardian London, Mary Poppins Returns
takes place during the Depression Era in
1935, which is also when PL Travers fi nished
writing the fi rst of her eight Mary Poppins
books. “When you read the books, you
feel [the] depression, which is one of the
reasons why we wanted to settle on this era,”
Marshall explains. “The original fi lm was
set in 1910. And what’s interesting about
the original fi lm is that it’s perfect. We love
it, it’s what inspired a lot of us to be in the
business... It’s one of those movies that stays
with you and begins your journey and your
love of fi lm, and the imagination that opens
up from this incredible journey that happens
in that fi lm. So it’s been such an honour for
us to take that beautiful fi lm, and take it into
this other journey, with a whole new story
and an entirely original score.”
Poppins’ services are once again required
by the Banks family following the death of
Michael Banks’ wife. Michael (played by Ben
Whishaw) and his three children have moved
in with the housekeeper Ellen (Julie Walters)
at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, when they are all
paid a visit by the ageless nanny.
“She comes in and helps heal this family,”
says Marshall. “I think one of the things that
I like about this piece is that it really relates
to loss and children who have dealt with loss
in life, and how do you heal a family?
“I know one of the reasons we dove
right into this fi lm, [and why] this cast was
desperate to do this fi lm is because of the
world climate right now. I think we are allTUPPENCE A FACT
A little behind the scenes magic from the originalA little behind the scenes magic from the originalAngela
Lansbury,
Mary Martin
and Bette Davis were
all considered for the role
of Mary Poppins for the original
fi lm, while Cary Grant was Walt
Disney’s favourite for Bert.
Songwriter Robert Sherman
suggested Julie Andrews
after seeing her
perform a song
from Camelot
on The Ed
Sullivan
Show.A little behind the scenes magic from the original
Julie Andrews
almost turned
down the role, hoping
to be cast as Eliza Doolittle
in Warner’s My Fair Lady fi l m ,
having originated the role on
Broadway. When Warner
decided to go with
Audrey Hepburn
instead, Andrews
decided to take
Disney up on
t h e of f e r.The
Sherman
Brothers wrote
30 songs for the
originalMary Poppins.One cut song titled ‘The
Beautiful Briny’ eventually made
it into Disney’sBedknobs AndBroomsticks,which alsostarred David Tomlinson,
while ‘Land Of Sand’
was recycled into
‘Trust In Me’ for The Jungle
Book.After being cast as
Bert, Dick Van Dyke
lobbied Walt Disney to let
him play Mr Dawes Sr too. He
fi nally managed to persuade
Disney to let him screen-test
for the role, only after
making a $4,000
donation to CalArts,
the California art
school founded
by Disney.perform a song
from Camelot
The Edinstead, Andrews instead, Andrews
decided to take decided to take
Disney up on Disney up on
t h e of f e r.t h e of f e r.Beautiful Briny’ eventually madeBedknobs And
which alsostarred David Tomlinson,
while ‘Land Of Sand’
was recycled into
‘Trust In Me’ for The Jungle
Book.After it was
featured in Mary
Poppins, ‘Feed The Birds’
quickly became Walt Disney’s
all-time favourite song. Richard
Sherman has revealed on
several occasions that Disney
would regularly stop by the
Sherman Brothers’ offi ce
on Fridays to request
a private live
performance.transition to fi lm. Everyone working here is
sort of the best at what they do.”
Where the original fi lm was set in
Edwardian London,
takes place during the Depression Era in
1935, which is also when PL Travers fi nished
writing the fi rst of her eight
books. “When you read the books, you
feel [the] depression, which is one of the
reasons why we wanted to settle on this era,”
Marshall explains. “The original fi lm was
set in 1910. And what’s interesting about
the original fi lm is that it’s perfect. We love
it, it’s what inspired a lot of us to be in the
business... It’s one of those movies that stays
with you and begins your journey and your
love of fi lm, and the imagination that opens
up from this incredible journey that happens
in that fi lm. So it’s been such an honour for
us to take that beautiful fi lm, and take it into
this other journey, with a whole new story
and an entirely original score.”
Poppins’ services are once again requiredseveral occasions that Disney
would regularly stop by the
Sherman Brothers’ offi ce
on Fridays to request
a private live
performance.
Some of the
nannies lined
up outside the Banks’
residence towards the start of
the fi lm were actually stuntmen
in wigs and dresses, ready
to be dragged through
the air along Cherry
Tree Lane when the
wind picks up
and carries
the nannies
a wa y.Matthew
Garber and
Karen Dotrice,
who played Jane and
Michael Banks, co-starred
in two other Disney fi lms together
(The Three Lives Of Thomasina
and The Gnome-Mobile)^
before Garber died in
1977 at the age of 21
after unknowingly
contracting
hepatitis while
travelling
through
India.