Newport Beach Library Gets Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

A group of children had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time Thursday at the Newport Beach Central Library.

The cast members of Mary Poppins—which is playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through Aug. 7—made a special appearance at the library to talk to children and their parents about their time performing in the beloved musical. 

Questions the children asked:

Q: How long does it take to do your makeup?

A: "I arrive one hour before curtain. It takes 30 minutes," said Steffanie Leigh, who plays Mary Poppins. Side note: Cast members Anthony Christian Daniel and Hannah Chin, who are part of the ensemble, wear heavy makeup during the chimney sweep scene. They have only two to three minutes to change clothes and makeup between songs. 

Q: How long did it take to learn the dance?

A: The cast responded that the "Step in Time" number is 14 minutes in length and took three days of rehearsal.

Q: How does it feel to fly?

A: "Flying is fun. It's a great moment because I get to connect closely with the audience," Leigh said.

Q: Is it scary?

A: "They take good care of me, so it's not very scary," Leigh said.

Q: How do you get your hair all black and up? 

A: "I wear a wig. My wig is called a three-quarter wig," Leigh said. "I use my real hair for the back of it. My hair is painted every night for the back."

Q: What's the audition like?

A: "I auditioned a year-and-a-half before I got it. They look for a certain type of person, height, more of a dancer, more of a singer," Chin said.

"There could be 35 people in the room auditioning and only one job available," Leigh said.

Q: Do you become friends with the people in the show?

A: "We definitely are a close-knit little family,"  Leigh said.

Mary Poppins features the story and music of one of the most popular Disney films of all time and adds new dance routines and stagecraft. Get ticket information here.