Last week, Disney’s “Mary Poppins” musical premiered at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre. The Daily Californian spoke with Madeline Trumble — a native of Berkeley and the star of the touring production — about growing up in the Bay Area, the struggles of working on a touring show and the magic of the “Mary Poppins” musical.
The Daily Californian: You grew up in the Bay Area. How did that influence your choice to go into theater?
Madeline Trumble: I’ll always feel grateful for growing up in the Bay Area. Me and my brother and my sister all performed growing up. There was so much community and regional theater around us. I mean, we also had a great mom who was always willing to drive us. There’s a lot of theater in the Walnut Creek area. We would highlight the auditions we wanted to go to. I never really took classes growing up; I was always in a show. That’s the best education. And then when I went to college and I had to take acting classes and voice classes — it was weird. Growing up in theater, I know now how to be in a show. And it also made me grow up because all of my friends were at least four years older than me. So I definitely grew up and matured in the theater world.
DC: You’re in Minneapolis right now (at the time of the interview). It’s a pretty hectic touring schedule. How do you keep the show fresh every night?
MT: It’s stressful. I was in the ensemble before. But as the lead now there’s just a lot more pressure. When I was in the ensemble, if I wasn’t feeling well or tired, you could just dial it down. I can’t do that now. It means that I have to be careful after the show. I don’t go out; I have to be really careful and save my voice. It’s fun because you get to travel and see the country, but (it is) also very exhausting. It’s live theater, so things are rarely perfect or the same every night. The audience has no idea, but I know. I do the same thing every day, and then I see people who come to the show and friends of mine, and they’re so in awe. It is really cool and exciting what I do. It’s easy to forget when you go to work every day.
DC: What was the audition process like?
MT: It’s the same show with different management. I went to New York, got in “Newsies,” did that for a few months and I knew that the girl playing Mary was leaving. I just crossed my fingers that the company would call me. They’re really great about moving up understudies. I got a call to come in and audition. And they make you go on something like five auditions with only two days notice. So I went in (and) saw the show, surrounded by this group of kids. I had never seen it; I knew nothing about it. But the play is quite different from the movie. It takes the music from the movie but stories from the book — new characters and new songs. Now, when I watch the movie, I think the movie is so different and crazy.
DC: How do you feel the show appeals to both children and adults?
MT: “It is Disney, so the spectacle of that is a huge part of it. It has amazing sets, costumes, lights. You get all of that with tap dancing, with lots of singing and magic. The magic, though, is for the kids and the adults. It brings the adults back to when they were kids. But our show also has this great message about family, about rediscovering what is most important in life.”
Contact Jessica Pena at [email protected].