Observations on Mary Poppins

Oh, chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee . . . Mary Poppins is about to come to the UK stage, starting its run in Bristol in mid-September and coming to London in time for Christmas. The flying nanny, the dancing penguins, laughing Uncle Albert, the bird-feeding old woman - all these are scenes I watched again and again as a child. It was one of the first things we recorded when my family first got a VCR, and I know many of the lyrics by heart.

It is possible, in fact, that this musical was responsible for politicising me. Although most of us are now against sending young boys up chimneys (unless they're really naughty or the chimney is really dirty), there are many political messages in the 1964 filmed version, based on Pamela L Travers's 1934 novel of the same name. These include women's rights, fathers' rights, anti-capitalism and the work/life balance. The Fawcett Society, Fathers Direct and the May Day rioters could all use the film in their promotional materials.

It is 1910: "the age of men", as Mr Banks tells us. Yet all is not well in the middle-class household of 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Mrs Banks and the household staff support the suffragettes:

We're clearly soldiers in petticoats
And dauntless crusaders for

women's votes
Though we adore men individually
We agree that as a group they're rather stupid!

We are a long way from the woman who can have it all. Mrs Banks has few balls to juggle: she neither has a career nor looks after her children. Instead, a nanny is needed: her attributes, say the children, Jane and Michael, should be:

Rosy cheeks, no warts!
Play games, all sorts.
You must be kind, you must be witty,
Very sweet and fairly pretty,
Take us on outings, give us treats,
Sing songs, bring sweets . . .

The nanny that the wind blows in, however, teaches the Bankses that being a family means spending time together.

The fun that Jane and Michael have with their surrogate parents, Mary and Bert the chimney sweep, is the kind that doesn't cost money - jumping through pictures drawn on to pavements, for example. But Mr Banks's life and household are ruled by money:

A British bank is run with precision
A British home requires nothing less!
Tradition, discipline and rules must be the tools
Without them - disorder! Chaos!
Moral disintegration!
In short, we have a ghastly mess!

He is adamant that the bank is the correct place for money. If Michael surrenders his tuppence to the bank, he can help make the British empire great:

You see, Michael, you'll be part of Railways through Africa,
Dams across the Nile,
Fleets of ocean greyhounds,
Majestic, self-amortising canals,
Plantations of ripening tea.

Yet even Mr Banks comes round to the idea that there can be another use for money:

With tuppence for paper and strings,
You can have your own set of wings . . .
Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!

Everybody is happy, and there's not even a purple-flour-filled condom in sight. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

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