S-u-p-e-r…
c-a-l-i-f…
r-a-g-i-l…
i-s-t-i-c-e-x-p-i-a-l-i-d— o-d-i-o-u-s!!!
Everybody now! Okay, well, not everybody— but a fantastic group of four ensemble members— for sisters, to be exact. It isn’t very often that one is fortunate enough to get to a show with one family, let alone get to be in the same show with all four siblings! How very— Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is that!? We took some time, continuing on after speaking with the young actors who play Jane & Michael Banks, to interview four members of the Mary Poppins ensemble— the four Acerno sisters: Erin, Nora, Evelyn, and Maeve.
I can officially say I have never interviewed four sisters all together before for the same show! This is a unique opportunity! Let’s tell the readers who you are and what you’re doing here with Mary Poppins.
Erin Acerno: I’m Erin Acerno, and I’m 18. I play Neleus and Valentine.
Nora Acerno: I’m Nora Acerno, I’m 14, and I’m in the ensemble.
Evelyn Acerno: I’m Evelyn Acerno, also 14, and I’m in the ensemble as well.
Maeve Acerno: I’m Maeve Acerno, I’m also 14, and I’m also in the ensemble. We’re triplets.
Fantastic! Erin the oldest and the triplets! So tell me, what was the desire to want to be a part of Mary Poppins? Erin, we’ll start with you.
Erin: I’ve been doing shows with The Suburban Players for the past four years, this is my fourth one, and Mary Poppins is a very significant show to me personally; it was my second Broadway show. I was in it when I was ten at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland. It was a very great experience. And I’ve been watching the Mary Poppins movie since I was very little. Julie Andrews has been my idol since I was two years old. This story means a lot to me, and to get to be a part of it— as potentially my last show with Suburban Players, due to going off to college, it just means the world to me.
Nora: Like Erin said, both the show and the movie have been a huge part of my life. I love the songs and I just think it’s such a fun show to be in and to watch. This is my first time getting to actually be in Mary Poppins so it’s just very exciting.
Evelyn: Well this was a fan favorite in our house growing up, this movie. We all loved to watch it. I think there was definitely a big appeal because we all get to do another show together, the four of us, before Erin goes off to college.
Maeve: I’ve been wanting to do a show with Suburban Players for a long time and when they announced that they were doing Mary Poppins, I thought it was the perfect opportunity because we all love it so much.
What is it like getting to do a show with your sisters? This is not necessarily a concept that you are unfamiliar with…
Erin: Yes. So we’ve grown up basically at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland and Cockpit in Court doing shows together since I was seven and they were four. Recently, since we’ve all gotten older, we’ve done things separately. Getting to this show in particular together as sisters is really cool.
Nora: I love it. I think it’s a great experience before Erin goes off to college. It’s such a great cast. This experience for us is definitely going to bring us closer together.
Evelyn: I think the memories that we’re making here together are really good, especially with Erin going off to college. I think the show is very important to all four of us on a personal level so it’s just such a great opportunity.
Maeve: I love getting to spend individual time with each other during the show too. Erin and I get to be dance partners and it’s really awesome. Evelyn and I get to do a little moment in “Step In Time” and it’s just been really fun.
What’s your favorite musical number in the show?
Erin: I mean “Step In Time” is always my favorite because I’ve grown up tap-dancing and it’s my favorite style of dance. Getting to do that and getting to work with Gary (actor Gary Dieter, playing Bert), who is incredible, is really amazing.
Nora: I like “Anything Can Happen” because I feel like that’s the real turning point in the show. I think it’s very symbolic. I think it summarizes the lessons that Mary Poppins teaches us.
Evelyn: Like Erin, my favorite is “Step In Time” because I love to tap as well.
Maeve: I love “Feed The Birds.” It’s such a pretty song and it can be a real tear-jerker too. And Misti and Katie (Misti Hagy and Katie Sheldon, playing The Bird Woman and Mary Poppins, respectively) do such a beautiful job with it.
What have been some of the challenges that you’ve been facing in the rehearsal process so far?
Erin: I’m playing two roles in this show so that’s been very challenging. A lot of different aspects come with being two roles at once. I’m also the Dance Captain of this show. This is my third time being the Dance Captain at Suburban Players and it’s fun. I like having the responsibility of getting to help people with their dances. The challenge is making sure you don’t stray too much from the story. We’ve talked a lot in rehearsal with everyone in the cast, about making sure we all know the moment where Mary teaches us something. We have really talked about that a lot, all the cast members, especially in the ensemble, and I think that has been one of the biggest challenges.
Nora: I think that this show in general, no matter who you are in the show, comes with a lot of pressure. Because it’s a show that everybody knows and that everybody loves. Everybody knows all of the songs. So there is a lot of pressure to bring the magic and the experience that everyone has grown up watching.
Evelyn: To agree with both Erin and Nora, I think the challenge is definitely to keep the magic alive and to meet everyone’s expectations of what they think Mary Poppins is when they walk in the door. I also think Lauren (director Lauren Spencer-Harris) has taught us really well. She’s really helped us figure out our characters and what obstacles they face. Trying to figure out where Mary touches each of us personally is definitely a big challenge.
Maeve: This is certainly a very ensemble-heavy show. Being a deadpan person who is all about precision and order, and then finding that moment where Mary changes you to being a creepy toy who is playing the game, and then trying to find the balance between those two while staying in character, is a real challenge.
At least two of you have now mentioned dancing and growing up with dancing, are all of you dancers or is it just two of you?
Erin: We’ve all grown up dancing but Evelyn and I in particularly do more dancing. I’ve done competitive dancing for years.
That’s very impressive! Do you have a favorite dance number in this show?
Erin: Besides “Step In Time”? I also love “Jolly Holiday” because in that number I’m a statue so I get a little featured dance part with Evelyn as well.
Nora: I would have to say one of my favorite dancing moments is in “Super.” (Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.) It’s just a classic. It’s so much fun and there’s a lot of partner work and it’s just so much fun to do with the whole cast.
Evelyn: My favorite is also “Super” because I love all of the partner work and all of the different challenges that we’ve learned. It’s been really fun learning that number as a cast and as a family.
Maeve: So far “Step In Time” is my favorite. I don’t get to tap a lot and it has been really fun doing that with Gary and everybody else.
Since we’ve brought up “SuperCal” at least twice now, what do you all think Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious means to you?
Erin: It means hope. I feel like that’s a common theme in this show. Mary brings hope to the Banks family and to the kids in general. She brings hope to all the ensemble members, whether you’re a clerk or a toy or whatever you may be, she brings hope. And the show brings hope to anyone who watches it.
Nora: I think it means imagination. Throughout the song they talk about all the ways that people in history could have used it. I think it’s influential.
Evelyn: To me it means joyfulness because everyone loves this number. It brings a lot of memories for the people on stage and off the stage. It’s just a very fun experience.
Maeve: I have to say it means anything you want it to, like they say in the song. Whatever you need it to mean, whenever you need a word to describe something, that’s what SuperCal is for me.
If you could play any character in the show— regardless of age or gender or any other restricting factor, who would you want to play?
Erin: I would want to be Mary Poppins. That has been a dream role since I was two years old. I played in “All Together Now” at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland and I was Mary Poppins; we did a performance of “SuperCal” and I definitely want to be her.
Nora: I’d probably want to be The Bird Woman because she’s not the biggest part but I feel like she’s really influential to both the principals and the ensemble. I feel like it’s a really important part even though it’s not a lot of lines. It’s a teaching moment for the whole show.
Evelyn: I think I would want to be Bert because he’s a very fun and enthusiastic character and he’s a big role. And I would love to play side by side with Mary. Together they teach both the kids and the Banks’ adults how to find a new perspective in the world.
Maeve: I would either want to be Bert or Mr. Banks. I think his character arc is really important for the show. There wouldn’t Mary Poppins if it wasn’t for Mr. Banks and I think his character is very, very interesting.
What is it that you are hoping will take away from coming to see Mary Poppins?
Erin: The blessing of hope. I feel like everyone, especially because of Covid, everyone has lost something. Whether that was a loved one or their job or something like that, I feel like everyone will be able to take something away from this experience. George Banks loses his job in the show. And that’s a common theme— loss and grief and hope. They all go hand in hand.
Nora: I hope they walk away with the feeling of family and safety because I think that’s what this show provides. That’s what we’re hoping to provide.
Evelyn: I hope the audience takes away the feeling and sense of faith and hope, like Erin said. Mary Poppins tries to help both Jane and Michael as well as Mr. Banks change. She helps them see a new perspective on the world and she helps them become nicer people. The hope that she had for three of them is something I hope everyone will feel.
Maeve: I would say the love. This cast has put so much into this show. There’s so much love between the Banks family and the love that Mary Poppins has for the kids. I hope that the audience walks away feeling loved.
What have you learned about yourself— as a person, or a singer, a dancer, or a performer— by being a part of this show? What has being a part of Mary Poppins taught you about you?
Erin: This process overall has been very emotional. It’s also been a very nice acting challenge for me. I’m playing these two parts but they’re not big parts, yet I’m learning about myself doing two roles at once and I’m also in the ensemble. Getting to really explore the emotional depth of the ensemble, learning that everybody is really important— big or small role— has been a great lesson.
Nora: I feel like I’ve learned— I’m sorry, this is a really hard question.
You know what, Nora? That’s okay. I’ll let you in on a little secret. A lot of adults really struggle to answer this question, so you’re doing just fine!
Nora: I think I’ve learned patience. There is a lot that goes into this show. It takes a lot of patience to pull it off. I feel like I’m learning how to appreciate everything around me. That’s what Mary teaches us, to appreciate everything.
Evelyn: For me, what I’ve learned about performing is exploring your character in a new way and the depth that a character can go to. I think Lauren has definitely helped each of us, individually, to find that and to grow with our characters.
Maeve: Just being part of this show is such a privilege. We’ve gotten to do so much singing, dancing, and acting as the ensemble and it has been so much fun. I’ve really learned— like we’ve all been saying— how to really explore the depth of a character no matter how small.
If you had to sum up the Mary Poppins experience here at St. Demetrios, what word would you use?
Erin: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
I had this feeling…well, actually, I was hoping that somebody would use that word to sum it up!
Nora: I would say nostalgic. I feel like this whole show brings back memories for everybody in the cast. It brings back memories of childhood, of what they did when they were a kid like flying a kite or playing in the park; it’s just a very nostalgic show.
Evelyn: I’d say loving. You definitely feel the love when you’re on stage.
Maeve: I was going to say SuperCal, but I guess my second one would be beautiful. Because there are so many beautiful lessons and themes in this show and it is so very important to learn them.
Mary Poppins plays February 10th through February 19th 2023 with the Suburban Players housed at the Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in the Hermes Rafailides Center— 2504 Cub Hill Road in Carney, MD. For tickets please call (443) 390-2981 or email Suburbanplayers2504@gmail.com
To read the interview with Bella Comotto and Elijah Tsakalos, click here.
