Mary Poppins has arrived in London’s West End. After a short trial run in Bristol, the new multimillion-pound show has opened at the Prince Edward Theatre. This is the same theatre where an unknown young actress named Julie Andrews appeared in a Christmas production of Humpty Dumpty fifty-six years ago.

From Pamela Travers’ eight books, to the Academy Award winning 1964 Walt Disney movie and now to the London stage, this is the tale of two unruly children who are taken in hand by a magical nanny who stays just long enough to bring love and respect back into their fractured household.

About three-quarters of the film is replicated on stage in one form or other, but there is a lot more room for character development in this version. George Banks, the children’s father, benefits most from this, as his character is much more rounded (and troubled) than David Tomlinson’s simple on-screen rendition.

The new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe integrate well with the amended and extended versions of the old Sherman Brothers numbers, especially Mary’s new theme tune, Practically Perfect In Every Way. There is also a nice version of the birth of a certain very long word, and unlike Julie Andrews, this girl can really say it backwards! And just when we thought that the song couldn’t go any faster, it started up again as a raucous sing-a-long version.

The costumes are almost direct copies of the film characters’, with the iconic red-coated Mary Poppins carrying her carpet bag and parrot-headed umbrella. And the elaborate sets are astounding. 17 Cherry Tree Lane rises and falls as its various highly detailed floors are required, from its underground servants’ kitchen right up to its rooftop.

Rising West End star Laura Michelle Kelly plays Mary Poppins, and although she looks as though she’s stepped straight from screen to stage, right from the start it’s clear that she’s a very different nanny to Julie Andrews’ depiction. This Mary is Poppins with attitude; she has an edge that was never shown in the movie. This comes particularly to the fore when she subjects the children to a terrifying lesson in the consequences of losing your temper. It’s the stuff of nightmares, which explains why the producers of the show have recommended that it’s not for kids under seven years old.

There’s a brief appearance by the Banks’ original childminder, Nanny Andrew (surely a nod to Dame Julie) which darkens the tone further still. Her methods are very different to Mary Poppins’, as she prefers administering liberal doses of Brimstone and Treacle rather than a spoonful of sugar.

But there are plenty of fun moments too. I was quite impressed when, as in the movie, Mary takes a hat stand and a potted plant from her carpetbag. But I was staggered when she brought her bed from it and she and the children proceeded to sit on it! As young Michael Banks says; “She’s tricky, but she’s bloody good”!

Anyone expecting a direct reproduction of Walt’s film is going to be disappointed. Some things have inevitably been lost in the translation from film to theatre. The penguins are gone, along with the entire animated section. The I Love To Laugh section has also been totally removed.

And as for the new additions? Well most of them aren’t really new as the writers have returned to P.L. Travers’ original books, with the nanny taking the children on adventures that were not in the Disney movie. Statues in the park come to life, for example, and a street market appears out of nowhere.

But many of the classic film scenes we love have been left almost unchanged. The old lady imploring us to feed the birds; Jane and Michael reading their advertisement for a new nanny; the simple pleasures of flying a kite; these are lovingly brought to life on stage.

Highlight for me was a hypnotic version of Step In Time which not only featured 25 tap-dancing chimney sweeps but also saw Bert walk up the wall of the theatre and along the roof! And the final scene where Mary flies from the stage and into the stars - out and over the heads of the awe-struck audience - saw quite a few people with tears in their eyes.

The nominations list for this year's Laurence Olivier Awards for West End stage shows has just been announced. Mary Poppins has received an incredible nine nominations including Best New Musical. All are richly deserved. Quite simply, this is two-and-a-half hours of the West End at its very best.

And surely Broadway will beckon sometime soon.

If you want to know more about this fabulous musical, check out the official website at www.marypoppinsthemusical.co.uk