Flying machine helps BHS musical soar
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
When Burlington High School drama directors Troy Everson and Beth Reetz got the rights to “Mary Poppins” last spring, they didn’t think they would be able to make the title character fly.
Not until they made a trip to Kettle Moraine to see the show done by the high school there. A delighted child changed their minds.
A small girl, across the theater from Everson and Reetz, yelled, “It’s Mary Poppins!”
Said Reetz, “The entire theater just melted. Troy turned to me at that point and said, ‘We’re flying Mary Poppins.’
“Our whole ride home was, ‘Holy crap, how do we make that happen?’” Reetz added.
Now, thanks to the generosity of the Burlington community, both Mary and Bert will fly in BHS’s production of the show, which opens today.
Both Reetz and Everson admit they had initially considered flying the characters in the show, but cost was a prohibitive factor. What they decided to do after seeing the Kettle Moraine production was approach the community.
The flying system in the show, being provided by the company Vertigo, is being funded by a grant from the Burlington Community Fund, as well as donations from Lavelle Industries/The Coffee House at Chestnut and Pine, Wanasek Corporation, H&R Block, Lynch and Lynch Dealerships, Bear Realty, Fidelity Title, Mays Insurance and Lois Tire.
“Those businesses completely stepped up and paid for the flying system,” Reetz said.
But paying for the system – a set of two pulleys – was just the start. In order to use the system, an adult and two students are assigned to unit. They are responsible for the pulleys and getting the actors in and out of the rigging.
That crew includes Burlington High School English teacher Rob Thompson, as well as students Timo Tschernoster, Elisabeth Schopp and Darren Fitch.
The flight crew as well as the actors – Izzie Moritz and Makenzie Ferguson (as Mary Poppins) as well as Jayden Welch and Sam Jorudd (as Bert) – then went through three nights of training, staying for two to three hours after rehearsal.
“We were here until 10, 11 o’clock at night,” Everson said.
The flying rig is inspected each day, and there is a flight test before every performance. Both the state manager and Thompson need to sign off. It takes a crew of four to get Bert into his rigging, and two to get Mary in, and 10 to 15 minutes for the flight test.
The end result, though, is beyond what Reetz or Everson could have hoped for.
“It’s magical,” Reetz said. Added Everson, “The image of Mary Poppins (soaring across the stage with her umbrella) is what the adults will remember.”
The school will produce the show over the next two weekends – Thursday, March 9, to Sunday, March 12, and Thursday, March 16, to Sunday, March 19. Thursday to Saturday shows begin at 7 p.m., while Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $5, and available at the high school and at /bhsmarypoppins.brownpapertickets.com.
If you go…
What: BHS production of “Mary Poppins”
When: March 11 at 7 p.m. (sold out); March 12 at 2 p.m. (sold out); and March 16, 17 (limited) and 18 (sold out) at 7 p.m.; and March 19 at 2 p.m. (sold out).
Where: Burlington High School Auditorium, 400 McCanna Parkway.
Tickets: Tickets are $5, and available at the high school and online at bhsmarypoppins.brownpapertickets.com.
-
-
-
-
-