Mary Poppins at The Naples Players

It’s time to escape daily life and see some real, live magic at The Naples Players.
That’s right, your favorite nanny, Mary Poppins (played by Elizabeth Marcantonio), steps out of the silver screen and onto Blackburn Hall’s stage from March 2 – April 3.
Join young Jane and Michael Banks (Olivia LaChance and Aiden Thayer) on a journey into glittering worlds and you may just find yourself levitating out of your seat to dance with Bert (Bret Poulter) in “Step in Time!” With all the nostalgia of the 1964 film, Mary Poppins says “Practically perfect people never permit sentiment to muddle their feelings,” but adults will find the show irresistibly full of reminiscences.
It’s not every nanny who can fly with an umbrella and explore magical worlds filled with surprises and songs that capture our soaring imagination. To Mary Poppins, this is nothing out of the ordinary and it’s with a “Spoonful of Sugar” that she uplifts the spirits of the audience and the staunch George and Winifred Banks (James Little and Tina Moroni) household.
The Naples Players (TNP) is working closely with ZFX, a complete provider for all flying effects, to ensure that this magic transports us to another world. Flying two of the volunteer actors 20 feet high is certainly a tall order. There will be two to three trained staff manning this flight process to ensure that the actors are safe.
TNP’s director of production Trevor Long says the responsibility is, “mentally taxing. You’re constantly thinking, ‘I know I checked it but…I better do it again,’ and you’re more aware of everything than with a normal backstage responsibility. Chase (Lilienthal, technical director) will be intimately involved with the installation and rehearsals.”
Directed and choreographed by Dawn Lebrecht Fornara and musical direction by Charles Fornara, Mary Poppins features an all star cast of Naples favorites (in alphabetical order): Ethan Brendel, Dede Brownlee, Belinda Conigliaro, Nathan Eichhorn, Vivienne Engelmann, Frankie Federico, Lisa Federico, Ava Foley, Jeremy Giovinazzo, Kay Harkins, Lin Hart, Kelsey Lefrenias, Joseph Loiacono, Paul Lopresti, Harry McCartney, Natalie Minter, Abigail Nelson, Tom Rex, Eileen Reynolds, Brittany Ringsdore, Avery Roschek, Sue Smith, Bonnie Thayer, Norman Toback, Kenny Tran, Lorelai Vega, Lindsey Walsh, Ciaran Welch and Jack Weld.
A red carpet event open to the public is slated for Wednesday, March 2 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and features local vendors, food, drinks and live music from the band Chariot. Additionally, a sensory friendly performance will be held on March 15 at 7:30 p.m.
From March 2 – April 3, performances take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Both general public and season tickets are on sale at the TNP box office. Those interested can visit www.NaplesPlayers.org anytime or call the box office at 239-263-7990.