Sometimes being in a musical can feel like you’re not walking on solid ground–it’s full of high highs and low lows to bring a show together. But for the two lead actors of Harrison’s production of Mary Poppins, not being on solid ground is their reality as they take to the rafters during the show.
Harrison’s fall musical is an adaption of the 2004 Broadway musical, which was adapted from the 1964 movie. There are showings on November 17th and 18th. In the musical, the characters Mary Poppins and Bert, played by Chloe Schwettmann and Matthew Rudolph respectively, fly using a fly system designed and set up by Vertigo Flying Effects, and run by adults volunteering for the show.
A drama fly system works by using a system of pulleys and counterweights to control whether the actor goes up, down, left, or right. An actor sits in a harness and is controlled by pulleys as they go different directions. While in the air, the actor can do flips and other aerial acrobatics. For tech week, dress week, and the actual show, there are a team of five adult volunteers working to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
One of the actors flying, senior Chloe Schwettman, playing Mary Poppins, described what it was like to fly saying, “Flying felt weird at first, but as I did it more, it started to feel much more normal and almost freeing.” She flys five different times during the show, including at the very end.
The other actor flying is junior Matthew Rudolph playing Bert who said, “Flying is so much fun! It can get frustrating with the stunts, including with flipping, but the experience is fun!” He also talked about the role of flying in numbers such as “Step in Time,” saying “Flying can’t be the main focus. It’s a piece of the puzzle of a big entire number like ‘Step in Time.’” His biggest point of flying is during the aforementioned number, “Step in Time.”
All in all, the Harrison Creative Arts Theatre’s performance of Mary Poppins is an especially important one as it is the first time they are using a fly system since the 2019 production of Peter Pan. The cast and crew are ecstatic for people to see the show! Show dates are on November 17th at 7pm, and the 18th at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets can be found at the attached link: Local Level Events – William Henry Harrison High School Drama Department Presents Mary Poppins
