Longtime Dream Realized for Circa ’21 “Mary Poppins” Star
Gillian Weatherford is absolutely thrilled to be playing the iconic part that made her fall in love with musical theater in the first place.
The twentysomething Las Vegas native is stepping into the classic nanny lead in “Mary Poppins,” opening Friday at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Rock Island.
“The Sound of Music” (1965) was the first musical film she ever saw, but “Mary Poppins” (1964) was on repeat growing up in Vegas. Both starred Julie Andrews.
“I’d walk around the house in the full garb, pretending to be Mary Poppins,” Weatherford said Wednesday. “All of my Halloween costumes were musical theater themed.”
The colorful cast of Circa’s “Mary Poppins.”
“My dad grew up seeing all the musicals as a kid, and he loved them, so I of course saw them as soon as I was old enough,” she said, noting she saw the live stage version of “Mary Poppins” (a touring production) in middle school. Her father was longtime entertainment critic for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, now retired.
Weatherford attended the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts and earned her bachelor’s in vocal performance and musical theater at New York University.
Based on P.L. Travers’ beloved book series, “Mary Poppins” became an immediate hit when it premiered as a movie musical in 1964. Forty years later, Cameron Macintosh conceived a delightful stage treat that combines elements of Disney’s film with material inspired by Travers’ books.
In the musical version, Bert, a jack-of-all-trades, invites us into the world of London, England in 1910 – and, specifically, into the dysfunctional home of the Banks family. Jane and Michael, the young Banks children, have sent yet another nanny packing, the woman having dismissed these children as hopelessly and irrevocably spoiled and misbehaved.
With a father who works constantly and mother who is always distracted, Jane and Michael have suffered without strong caretaking forces in their lives. Then the magical Mary Poppins flies in on the wind, bringing with her a combination of whimsy, magic, and disciplined common sense to the children’s lives.
Together, they go on memorable and magical adventures – and also learn the importance of a tidy nursery and of taking the medicine they need (with a spoonful of sugar, of course). But Mary’s transformational influence does not stop with the children, because eventually, she teaches the grown-ups, as well, to open up and realize that “anything can happen if you let it,” according to a Circa release.
Gillian Weatherford (in rear with umbrella), Jax Huntley, Tristan Tapscott, Laura Whittenberger, and Charlotte Ruth.
Making her Circa ’21 directing debut with “Mary Poppins” is Christie Kerr, who previously served as choreographer for the dinner theater’s hit 2020 production of “Kinky Boots,” with area favorite Ron May serving as music director and venue owner Denny Hitchcock as executive producer.
Kerr heads the musical theater program at University of Arizona, where she’s directed several shows. She got her degree in musical theater from the University of Michigan.
Kerr said Wednesday that she much prefers directing and choreographing versus performing (which began as a child), to transform her vision to reality on stage. “That’s really exciting,” she said, noting it’s much more pressure than being on stage. “I like figuring out puzzles and problems, and how to navigate issues.”
Charlotte Ruth, Jax Huntley and Gillian Weatherford.
The show worked with Vertigo Entertainment (based in Cortland, Ill.) on the flying scenes in “Mary Poppins,” since Sunday morning, July 6.
“It’s a fantastic company, but they make sure safety is top priority and that everyone’s comfortable,” Kerr said. “As a company, Vertigo has done 58 productions of ‘Mary Poppins.’”
“It’s iconic to have Mary Poppins fly, so make sure that they’re comfortable,” she said.
Weatherford said she’s up in the air for about 20 seconds at a time.
Jordan Thomas Burnett as Bert and Gillian Weatherford as the title role in “Mary Poppins.”
Her first summer stock was in 2021 in College Light Opera on Cape Cod, Mass., doing nine shows in 11 weeks. Those credits include roles in “Wizard of Oz,” “Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” a lead role in the Bernstein opera “Trouble in Tahiti” and the world premiere of “The Danger Year.”
Weatherford was in “Cinderella” and “Hello Dolly” in summer 2022 at Ohio Light Opera in Wooster, and “Nine” at NYU, from which she graduated in 2023.
She loves quirky British characters and has mastered the accent, including a small part in Circa’s “Baskerville” this past winter.
Hitchcock said he was convinced Weatherford was the perfect Mary Poppins since the second day of “Baskerville” rehearsals. “I hadn’t heard a note, since they weren’t singing,” he said.
An ensemble number in the new “Mary Poppins” at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse.
“That quirkiness is critical for the role,” Hitchcock said. “If we couldn’t tell within 15 seconds, then we wouldn’t want them. These are the kinds of roles you have to have tremendous stage presence. You have to have that ‘it’ factor that we can never define, and if you can’t see that that quickly, you’re not going to see it two hours later.”
“She was just it – you look and you know,” Kerr said, adding she also got that instant connection when she first saw the man who auditioned for Bert. “Gillian had the personality, the air and the voice. There’s an essence there.”
The director noted that the Mary in the original Travers’ books is more British and strict than the Julie Andrews film. “The musical balances both and we’ve been striking that balance,” Kerr said. “We found a mix of both. The audience has to fall in love with Mary Poppins; you have to see that heart, but she’s also the one who shapes this family, and she has to have that strictness, but also the fun, that little glint in her eye.”
Jordan Thomas Burnett as Bert and Gillian Weatherford as the title role in “Mary Poppins.”
Circa’s new cast includes Jordan Thomas Burnett (Bert); Tristan Tapscott (George Banks); Laura Whittenberger (Winifred Banks); and, in alternating performances, Charlotte Ruth and Olivia Young (Jane Banks) and Jax Huntley and Fulton Young (Michael Banks). A dozen gifted actors, meanwhile, complete the ensemble: Connor Austin; Ashley Becher; Adam Cerny; Carissa Ferguson; John Henderson; Benjamin Hoermann; Kiera Lynn; Sean McCrystal; Chandler James Pettus; Kory Randles; Savannah Rhodes and Kristina Miranda Sloan.
Performances will run through Sept. 6, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday matinées at 1:15 p.m. Pre-show entertainment featuring the Circa wait staff the Bootleggers will also precede all performances.
Ticket prices are $68 for the Friday-through-Sunday dinner-and-show productions and $61 for all Wednesday performances. Reservations are available through the box office at 1828 3rd Ave. in Rock Island or by calling 309-786-7733, ext. 2. Online reservations are also available at circa21.com.
The cast of Circa’s “Mary Poppins,” which will run through Sept. 6.
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