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Gold Dust Orphans deliver a hilarious send-up of ‘Mary Poppers’ – Metro US

Gold Dust Orphans deliver a hilarious send-up of ‘Mary Poppers’

Though Ryan Landry’s latest, and arguably most outrageous, spoof was lovingly inspired by the world’s most beloved nanny, “Mary Poppers”?is one Mary no child should ever meet.

It begins innocently enough as Mary flies into the Banks house on Beacon Hill. But the differences between Poppers and Poppins quickly become crystal clear when the no-nonsense nanny enlists the services of her latest charges in cooking up a batch of her own kind of medicine.

Irreverence abounds as Mary and her f-buddy Burt bring joy (and illegal substances) everywhere they go. Along the way, the Banks children make their own magical transition from snotty to Goth but not without wreaking havoc on their fellow Bostonians and the poor birds they’ve chosen to feed.

Like its inspiration, “Mary Poppers” is a musical. But Julie Andrews and company would never have been able to sing and dance their way through songs about LSD, poking nannies in the park or a hot prison scene featuring Viola Davis.

The tremendously talented Gold Dust Orphans, however, make it look easy. Olive Another seems almost magical as the multiple-personality prone Mary. Penny Champayne is superb as the children’s otherwise occupied mother Mrs. Banks while Landry plays it ‘straight’ in a delightful turn as Mr. Banks.

Grace Carney and Liza Lott shine as Jane and Michael Banks respectively, but it’s their “good, old-fashioned unplugged tearjerker” “Happy Days/Get Happy” that highlights their vocal prowess.

Choreographer Johnnie Pirroni (aka Delta Miles) deserves kudos for the impeccable orphan hoofing but it’s his own singing and dancing that make him an absolute joy to watch.

If you go

‘Mary Poppers’

Through May 20

Club Machine

1254 Boylston St., Boston

$35-$45

www.brownpapertickets.com