The Mudds Present Mary Poppins (& Bert Too!)

The Mudds Present Mary Poppins (& Bert Too!) - theHumm November 2016

They’re baaaack! Last seen as adversaries in the comical courtroom musical The People vs Mona — as well as the dysfunctional King and Queen in Once Upon a Mattress; rekindling childhood romance over far too many martinis in Fox on the Fairway; or in Noises Off, Anything Goes and several murder mysteries — Michele Eno and Robert Horne are once again paired up as Mary and Bert in the Mississippi Mudds’ latest presentation of the updated Broadway classic Mary Poppins.

With so many productions together, you may be wondering why they are so often paired up… “Probably because we work cheap,” quips Michele. Given that the Mudds are a volunteer group, that seems highly suspect! “I think part of the reason we work well together is that we have a similar vision for the show and work really hard to bring that vision to life,” she adds. “Robert is absolutely a gem to work with. He’s incredibly talented and really dedicated. He sings, he dances and he’s a terrific actor. You could hate him if he wasn’t such a likeable person!”

“There is an incredible amount of trust that has developed between us over the years,” says Robert. “We know that we have each other’s back out there. There is safety in knowing that, no matter what happens, we’ll get through it, and have some fun doing it!”

A case in point happened during a performance of Fox on the Fairway, when Michele broke her foot! “It was incredible to watch,” says Horne. “Michele made it seem like that was supposed to happen! The audience had no idea. She is a joy to watch and even more fun to be on stage with. They say that acting is all about reacting, and Michele gives that in spades.”

Watching the two together during rehearsals, you can tell there is also a very mischievous side to them both. “My first experience working with Robert was many years ago when he had a lead role and I was in the ensemble. Things were not going smoothly at rehearsal and people were getting stressed. The next thing we know, Robert shows up to do his scene sporting a huge, furry fox tail tucked in the back of his pants. That broke the tension for sure!”

Says Horne, “there is an easiness that comes from working together on stage after so many shows. We can critique each other, without worrying about hurt feelings or feeling insulted. More than anything though, I think we just have fun. We have a lot of laughs.”

So, mutual respect, admiration and trust. Isn’t that just like the relationship between Mary Poppins and Bert? “Maybe it is…” says Eno. “Yeah, that or else it’s because we’re just a couple of hams.” Spit spot and cheerio, see you at the show!

Mary Poppins will be performed at the Carleton Place Town Hall at 7:30pm on Friday, November 25, Thursday, December 1, and Friday, December 2, with 2pm matinées on November 26 and 27, as well as December 3. Tickets can be purchased at Hallmark, located at 438 McNeely Avenue in Carleton Place (253–3000). Tickets are $20 for all shows with the exception of Thursday night, which is $15. Visit mississippimudds.ca For more information. Mary Poppins is performed by special permission of Music Theatre International.

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