Wind’s in the east, mist coming in./Like something’s a-brewing, bout to begin.” In this case, it’s the regional premiere of Mary Poppins, which opens the fall season for Theatre Baton Rouge this month. Under the direction of Lin Holdridge and with the help of the two leads—Melanie Couvillon as Mary Poppins and Zachary Denham as Bert—the production skews closer to the Broadway version and the children’s books than the film adaptation.
Rest assured there are plenty of elements from the Julie Andrews classic that audiences will remember, including “Step in Time,” the rooftop sequence that will feature 16 tap dancers.
“I haven’t done a full-on dance sequence quite to this magnitude in some time,” Denham says. “It’s like a 12-minute marathon, and what’s really terrific is Bert gets the chance to fly as well. As long as I do my job and the engineers do their job, it will be a really wicked cool sequence.”
Denham, a Gonzales native, performed in local productions before moving to New York, where he’s been the last four years. He studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy there, where coincidentally, Couvillon studied several years before. Though this is their first time working together, “We’re of the same schooling as far as technique and how to approach a piece,” Denham says.
Couvillon says she’s looking forward to bringing a much-loved character to life on the local stage, while of course bringing her own take to the role. “I want it to be me, you know, and then let Lin [the director] guide me,” she says. “I don’t want to subconsciously pull a little Julie Andrews out.”
As the director of family programming and events at the Manship Theatre, Couvillon is responsible for booking traveling shows there and making sure they provide top-notch entertainment for families. That mindset seemed to spill over into choosing this role, as well as inhabiting the kind but firm nanny. “I have a very strict eye. I want to make sure it’s something that’s quality,” she says.
Theatre Baton Rouge’s production of Mary Poppins runs Sept. 12-28. theatrebr.org
Would you rather have an umbrella that helps you fly or a bottomless carpetbag? Zachary Denham (Bert): “I would prefer to fly because it could get me out of situations. I don’t like being in uncomfortable situations.” Melanie Couvillon (Mary Poppins): “See, I want the bag to get me into situations.”
Would you trust Mary Poppins with your own kids? Melanie: “Yes, of course!” Zachary: “I would. She’s a tough cookie, but she brings the fun, though, you know.” Melanie: “It’s like when I was a second grade teacher—I was pretty strict the first couple of months, and then once they got the ropes and they knew what to do, then it was so easy. Everything was great.”
Favorite flavor of cough syrup? Melanie: “[In a Mary Poppins accent] Rum punch, that’s my favorite. She liked to have a little [mimics taking a drink], that Mary.” Zachary: “Yes, she did. She was nice and mellow. I was never one as a child to put up a fight to take medication. So whatever kind of Tussin Mamma gave me, that’s what I had. If it tasted like carpet cleaner, so be it.”
