As Mary Poppins, the super nanny of movie fame, magically appears on stage at the Palace Theatre, she chippily sings "I'm practically perfect.... in every way".
And there's no better way of summing up this absolute slice of theatre gold that has arrived in Manchester for the next four weeks. If you're a fan of musicals, then you'd be an absolute fool to miss this utter, utter theatre masterclass of magic and joy.
For those unfamiliar with the classic 1964 Disney movie, it tells the story of the Banks family, seemingly living the perfect life in their gorgeous Victorian mansion house on London's Cherry Tree Lane. But inside the house, which is quite brilliantly brought to life on stage here in one of the most mesmerising sets I've ever seen, all is not well.
The cheeky Banks' children, Jane and Michael, have seen off another nanny who cannot possibly cope with their behaviour. The duo are played on opening night by superb youngsters Katie Ryden and Charlie Donald who absolutely dazzle the audience throughout this show.
Head of the household is the starched banker George Banks, played with great physical comedy by Michael D. Xavier, who appears to think his wife Winifred (Lucie-Mae Sumner) should be seen and not heard just like the children.
The youngsters, clearly just wanting a bit of love and attention from their parents, decide to write their own personal wishlist for their next nanny, which gets swiftly ripped up and sent off up the chimney.
All is not lost though, as it magically summons the pristine figure of Mary Poppins, arriving with her giant bag, bird head umbrella and perfectly coiffed hair to Cherry Tree Lane. She is there to not only teach some lessons to the children, but to their parents too about what is really important in life.
Stefanie Jones takes on the role so memorably filled by Julie Andrews on the silver screen, and makes it entirely her own with sassy style. This is some achievement, and for me gives the show a more modern, knowing edge.
Her arrival sets off a magical adventure for the children - and for the audience - with some truly spectacular moments, with a mix of stagecraft and illusion (crafted by the renowned Paul Kieve and Jim Steinmeyer) along the way.
At its heart though, this is simply the most lavish and lovable musical production, with great songs, great dance and peerless performances from every single cast member - down to every last statue that comes to life in the park (special mention to Yujin Park as a fabulously sprightly Neleus).
Show favourite, cockney Bert, is played here by the brilliant Jack Chambers, and naturally he steals pretty much every scene he's in. Never more so than in the chimney sweep rooftop (and I really do mean on the rooftop) tap dance extravaganza Step In Time that was so crashingly good I may have shed a little tear.
Audiences can also expect a virtuoso performance of the song most intrinsically linked to the movie, with Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious given a technicolour makeover and a brilliant Mrs Corry (Sharon Wattis) bringing the mysterious and magical "talking shop" to life.
There's also a simply jaw-dropping scene (that some younger audience members may find a little scary) when the naughty Banks' kids get taught a lesson from their toys that turn into giant characters for the song Playing the Game in more magical moments on stage.
I've seen on social media some disgruntled comments about the ticket prices for this show, and yes, there's no getting away from the fact that this is an expensive theatre ticket (the "cheap seats" flew out when this first went on sale so you're now looking at around £95 for the stalls, and £55 each in the Grand Circle).
But this Mary Poppins is the truly lavish West End production here on tour from theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh, where you cannot fail to see where the money has been spent on creating such a humdinger of a show.
And without giving away the surprise at the end, trust me when I say that even those at the very back of the theatre will get a real eyeful at the grand finale.
Mary Poppins is at the Palace Theatre until May 17, 2025. Suitable for ages 7+
