The Riverside Children's Theatre presents the Disney classic Mary Poppins Jr. at the Martin Luther King Jr. High School theatre opening May 10. The delightful story with iconic songs and dance numbers performed by members of the RCT acting school will bring you back to 17 Cherry Wood Lane for a night you'll never forget.

The young cast of Mary Poppins Jr., presented by the Riverside Children's Theatre, showcase a timeless story with iconic songs and dance routines and prove without a doubt the depth of talent that exists inside these kids. Young stars Penelope Slaughter, as Jane Banks, and Atticus Lane, as Michael Banks, were not even reading before this production began and "now they are professional readers" said Slaughters mother. "I just hope she doesn't forget her lines" she added. Young Slaughter didn't disappoint, nailing her lines and her dance moves flawlessly. I think I even spied her helping a fellow castmate struggling to remember their lines at one point.

These are the kind of moments that highlight how important children's theatre can be to young up and coming actors, or even kids who just want to advance their literary skills, social development, and overall self-esteem. Seeing these kids light up on stage was a delight and in the end I left impressed at some of the incredible talent I was treated to.

Stand out performances from Gwen Lane as Mary Poppins and Levi Silva as Bert. Lane has an incredible singing voice and didn't let her singing distract her from her acting which was on point. Silva showed a quality many adult stage actors don't have, remembering that what you are doing when you are not the focus is often just as important as when you are the focus. He never dropped character, even when he was in the background or off to the side, and WOW did he capture the spirit of Bert in his facial expressions and overall obvious jubilance being on stage. Lane and Silva showed great chemistry on stage, and really brought both characters to life.

Also notable was Seoyool Kim as Winifred Banks who also brought amazing singing skills to the stage, and was excellent as the forgotten wife and sad mother of the Banks family, who stands up in the end and reminds everyone that "anything can happen."

The entire cast did a fantastic job, and I have to give special props to the ensemble performance of Step in Time which wore me out watching them, but they all moved and sang together and created such a fun moment in the show, and then moments later the star catchers came out and turned the whole theatre into a magical scene.

Mary Poppins Jr. opens May 10 at 7pm and runs May 11 at 7pm and then May 17th and 18th at 7pm. The cast is broken into two groups, this performance featured the "Schumacher Company", with a different cast making up the "Mackintosh Company" allowing for more participation. These young actors really put on an incredible show that is a must see! Get your tickets as soon as you can, cause these shows sell out fast. Tickets are available online at the RCT Box Office.

Directed by EJ Marquez, theatre education teacher, director, choreographer, and actor, and presented by The Riverside Children's Theatre, a non-profit supported completely by parent volunteers and bringing theatre education to children since 1957. For more information about how you can support their efforts, or introduce your young one to the theatre, visit the RCT website.