We walked from the Underground station to the British Museum. Admission is free, which is a wonderful thing for American college students. I was absolutely amazed by the entrance hall. It was so beautiful! Since we only had a short time to spend at the museum, we picked up a brochure from the information desk that included “Must See” items.
It was amazing to see Egyptian mummies, Mesopotamian burial artifacts, Greek marble sculptures, the Lewis chessmen, and the Rosetta stone. I especially liked seeing the metopes that once decorated the Parthenon since I am going to Athens in December and will see the Parthenon!
From the British Museum, we walked to the King Albert Theatre to see “Mary Poppins”. The musical was wonderful and actually very different from the movie. During intermission, Amy and I discussed the political and societal commentary contained in “Mary Poppins”. Themes include the value of money over the individual as depicted through Mr. Banks and his role at the bank, the role of women in society as depicted through Mrs. Banks, expectations for children as depicted by the relationship between Mr. Banks and his children, and caring for those in need as depicted by the bird woman on the steps of St. Paul’s.
Mr. Banks’s first concern is providing for his family, and he devotes all of his time to doing so. At one point, Mary Poppins brings the children to the bank to visit their father. Mr. Banks is trying to decide to which of two men to give a loan. Michael asks his father, “When granting a loan, which is more important – a good idea or a good man?” Mr. Banks, after some consideration tells him that he supposes that the man is more important. He awards the loan to the man whose factory will bring jobs to many men, rather than to the man who has a brilliant idea. When it seems that he has made the wrong decision and is suspended from the bank, he sings, “A man has dreams of walking with giants, to carve his niche in the edifice of time. Before the mortar of his zeal has the chance to congeal, the cup is dashed from his lips, the flame is snuffed, he’s brought to rack and ruin in his prime… And now my life’s ambitions go in one fell blow. It’s quite a bitter blow to take... When you realize your worst fears have been realized, and certainties now seem a bit less sure, ideals that at one time one idealized, now don’t seem so ideal anymore. Where once there was order, chaos has been loosed, and home truths, like chickens, are coming home to roost. Illusions may shatter, but memories stay. The things that really matter, I lost on the way. The Sovereign, the Master, and long may he reign, the famous Good for Nothing of Cherry Tree Lane.” These lyrics show how much Mr. Banks’s career had become his identity and purpose for life. Thankfully, the experience became an opportunity for Mr. Banks to grow as a person, and the bank gave him a promotion in the end.
The movie version of “Mary Poppins” does include issues of women’s rights and roles in society as Mrs. Banks works for the suffragette movement. The musical, however, focuses on a woman’s role in the relationship between a husband and wife. Mrs. Banks is a former actress, and Mr. Banks obviously disproved of her career. Mrs. Banks is given the task of finding a nanny of which Mr. Banks approves, and she never seems to succeed. He is determined to find a nanny as strict as his own, Miss Andrew. Mrs. Banks is also responsible for hosting a party for the women that Mr. Banks finds socially acceptable and with whom relationships would advantageous. She is not allowed to host her friends from her acting days. When all of the proper guests cancel, Mrs. Banks asks the cook, “Do you think we’ve chosen the wrong day?” The cook replies, “Perhaps you’ve chosen the wrong people.” She sings, “Being Mrs. Banks should be an easy role, and yet it’s one I don’t seem to good at on the whole. I have a comfy home, I have a simple life, I have a name, which tells the world I’m someone else’s wife. Being Mrs. Banks, what does that entail? Facing tests of character I always seem to fail. And as for his best people, I’d like to say no thanks. They’re not exactly my idea of being Mrs. Banks.” After Mr. Banks loses his job at the bank, he pushes Mrs. Banks aside. She sings, “George, Dear, I know it hurts your pride, Dear. But you can’t just run and hide, Dear. Why can’t you see that I’m here, and I am on your side? Whenever you spoke of Miss Andrew, you showered the woman with praise, but now that I’ve met Dear Miss Andrew, there are one or two things I’d rephrase. To think you were raised by that monster and carried that burden through life. If only you had seen that you could share it with your wife. Being Mrs. Banks, it’s easy to forget. The way I felt that Summer’s day, the day that we first met. Being Mrs. Banks, being kissed by you, a man of dreams who made me feel that wishes could come true. And now, although you’re lost, it’s time that we closed ranks. I’ll fight for the man who needs freeing, the real you who no one is seeing. And you’ll find a way of just being, being Mr. Banks.” Mr. Banks’s relationship to Mrs. Banks had been almost that of a parent and child, and she finally claims the role of his partner, friend, and confidant at the end of the musical.
Mr. Banks emphasizes running a strict house, and sings, “What good are rules if you can bend them? With boys and girls, you don’t befriend them… Precision and order, a credo for life. It’s always been a comfort for me and my wife.” The children are seen as more of a nuisance. By the end of the musical though, the family is restored, and Mr. Banks remembers his childhood love of astronomy and shares a telescope with his son, Michael. He also buys him the kite that he has always wanted, and together they fly it in the park.
After the musical, some of the actors were in the foyer collecting money for a charity. I saw Gavin Creel, who played Bert, and said to him, "If I put in a coin ($2), will you sign my program?" He told me that he couldn't then but that if I went to the stage door in ten minutes, he'd be there. This was the first time that I've ever gotten autographs at the stage door, so I was so excited! I found out later that he was also in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" with Sutton Foster! He's an American, and he told me that he really wants to live in Oregon someday. I tried to convince him that Central Oregon is the place to be, but he sounds more interested in the coast. Too bad. I looked him up online and found a demo recording for the new "Little Mermaid" Broadway musical that is opening next week. I had no idea that they were making it into a Broadway musical! The person who posted the video said that it is Gavin singing the recorded demos for the musical, but apparently others say that it's not Gavin. It's still so beautiful, and I can't wait to get the soundtrack!!! The song is "Her Voice"". Check it out! "If Only" is another beautiful song sung by Eric and Ariel after they have dinner together when she has no voice. It's so touching and absolutely gorgeous! I definitely recommend listening! Anyone want to meet me in New York? ;o)
From the theatre, we took the Tube to St. Paul’s Cathedral and sat on the steps. The steps are mentioned in “Mary Poppins”. After the children are each given a sixpence, they learn a lesson in charity. They meet the bird woman at the cathedral, and Mary sings, “Early each day to the steps of St. Paul's, the little old bird woman comes. In her own special way to the people she calls, come buy my bags full of crumbs. Come feed the little birds. Show ‘em you care, and you’ll be glad if you do. Their young ones are hungry. Their nests are so bare. All it takes is tuppence from you.” It was so awesome to stand on the steps that I had seen in the movie so many times. Our day in London concluded with a walk across a bridge over the Thames and a stroll along the river.
Lauren and I mimicking the Egyptian carvings...
The Egyptian statue was scary, so I decided to roar back at it!
With my autographed "Mary Poppins" program by the poster
Chatting about Oregon with Gavin Creel at the stage door
"Early each day to the steps of St. Paul's,
The little old bird woman comes.
In her own special way to the people she calls,
Come buy my bags full of crumbs..."
On the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral with Amy
No comments:
Post a Comment