PRACTICALLY perfect in every way, Mary Poppins arrived at Gordon’s for the recent Junior School production of this family favourite.

The school in West End captured some of the magic of London’s West End theatreland, as students in Years 8 and 9 performed on two consecutive evenings.

Similar to the original Mary Poppins, the junior musical features a statue brought to life by Mary, as well as characters such as Bert the chimney sweep and the bird woman. The production also featured classic songs such as Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and A Spoonful of Sugar.

Leading the student cast was Kate Brazendale, who gave a convincing performance as Mary, bringing discipline, magic and fun into the lives of her charges, Jane (Jessica Murphy) and Michael (Phoebe Schollick) Banks. As well as reminding their parents, George (George Mallek) and Winifred (Milly Kirtley) that anything can happen if you let it.

Martha Banks-Thompson, who directed the show said: “The cast have been working together for the past 12 weeks and have given up weekends and evenings to dedicate themselves to the show.

“In what is a tricky production with so many well-known musical numbers and a detailed storyline, the students showed a real maturity in their approach and their performances on the night.

She added: “Their professional and precise performances make it so easy to forget that the students are only in Year 8 and 9 and with so much talent on show, the future is certainly bright for Gordon’s senior productions.”