Willowbrook to present 'Mary Poppins'

Community residents are invited to join Willowbrook High School on a magical adventure when the school presents its fall musical, "Mary Poppins."

The show will be staged at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 17-19, at Willowbrook High School, 1250 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park. On Friday, the Kiwanis Club of Villa Park will host a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser before the show from 5 to 6:45 p.m.

The show tells the story of the Banks family, struggling to balance the "real-world" mindset of Mr. Banks (played by Willowbrook senior Tim Wagner) with the mischievous imaginations of the two Banks children, Jane and Michael (played by Willowbrook freshman Emily O'Brochta and her brother Sean, a student at St. Pius X Parish School). When a mysterious woman named Mary Poppins appears at their home, the Banks family discovers she might be just what they've been looking for in a nanny - yet nothing like what they expected.

Mary Poppins takes the children on magical and memorable journeys, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones changed by the experiences. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from Mary Poppins.

"With our performance of 'Mary Poppins,' audience members can expect to revisit the things they love from the movie, but also be surprised with aspects based on the book by P.L. Travers," said Regina Wathier, Willowbrook theater director. "This show is filled with elements of magic and surprise that are sure to captivate children and adults."

Willowbrook juniors Julia and Kathleen Cicero, who play Mary Poppins, said it's a dream come true to perform that role.

"We watched that movie growing up and absolutely love Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins," Kathleen said. "It's fun to make the character my own, yet take aspects of what Andrews did as well."

The character of Bert will be played by junior John DeAngelo, who said it has been an amazing opportunity to bring the story to life on stage.

"It's a lot of fun to have such a big cast (about 130 students are part of the production) and perform such well-known musical numbers," DeAngelo said.

He added although "Mary Poppins" is lighthearted and family-friendly, there is a deeper meaning to the storyline.

"To me, the story teaches the lesson that there's nothing wrong with having order in your life, but you also need to let your imagination run a little wild and enjoy being with those you love," DeAngelo said.

Tickets to the show are $10 for adults and children 12 and older, $8 for younger children accompanied by an adult and for students with an Activity Pass, and free for seniors with a Gold Card. For tickets, visit dupage88.net.

The cost for the spaghetti dinner is $7 for adults, $6 for teens, $4 for ages 6 to 12, and free for ages 5 and younger. For tickets to the spaghetti dinner, see kiwanisclubofvillapark.com.