This weekend’s production of the musical, Mary Poppins, promises to be the most extravagant show ever performed in the Mahomet-Seymour High School auditorium. The show is elaborate both technically and by the sheer numbers of students involved.
According to Carol Allen, head sponsor of MSHS Drama Department, the cast numbers 78 students from fifth through 12th grade on stage. While the production is the high school’s spring musical, younger students are able to audition. When a production calls for children in the cast, explained Allen, students from 5th grade up are invited to audition, providing they meet the physical requirements. This year, in order to audition for a child part, a student had to be less than 5’1”.
The production is double casted, said Allen. Double casting is where two students share the major and minor lead roles, so one person performs during one show and another person performs during a different show. Double casting allows more of Mahomet Seymour’s talented students to be showcased in the musical. Allen describes the talent pool in our area as “deep,” and double casting allows more of that talent to be seen on stage.
In addition to the 78 cast members, crew members involved in set building, technology and promotion bump the total number of participants up to 120, according to Allen. Some of those crew members are involved in the show’s intricate technical effects, namely making three cast members appear to fly across the stage.
Because of the elaborate costumes and the technical challenges of the musical, production costs were more for this musical than usual. Costumes had to be rented rather than taken from the school’s collection of existing costumes, and a company out of DeKalb, IL, Hall Associates Flying Effects, was brought in to provide the equipment and the expertise to allow cast members to take flight.
Marissa Vogelsang, a junior who plays Mary, is one of the cast members who will fly during two of the performances. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly across stage,” she said.
Allen said she sought community sponsorships to help defer costs. Students also held “Pancakes for Poppins” earlier this month to help raise the thousands of dollars it costs to bring in Flying Effects.
This particular musical has been in the works for a while, according to Allen. She and her mentor, former MS teacher and head of the drama department for 35 years, Judy Swiger, conferred and decided students at MS were ready to take on this challenging musical.
After the decision was made, Allen said she wrote to the company that owns the rights to Mary Poppins to gain performance rights. Mahomet-Seymour is the first high school in Central Illinois to gain those performance rights, she added.
“The students are excited to perform Mary Poppins,” said Allen, adding “it is a part of their childhoods.” “The musical is different from the movie. It is based off the series of eight books by PL Travers,” she said.
For Allen, the musical’s message is “anything can happen if you let it.” She wants her students and the audience to come away from the performance remembering that magical feeling.
Mary Poppins can be seen Thursday, April 30, Friday, May 1 or Saturday May 2 at 7 pm. In the high school auditorium. There also is a Sunday, May 3 performance at 2 p.m. Advanced tickets are available from cast and crew members, or at IGA’s service desk. They are $7 for students, $8 for adults. Tickets also may be available at the door on the day of the performance, but they will cost $1 more. Allen and students in the production all say they hope the performances sell out.
The Sunday performance will be Allen’s last as head drama sponsor. She is retiring after 22 years of working with Mahomet Seymour students.
