A swell sequel: Review of Mary Poppins Returns by Rashid Irani

Fifty-four years after the original, the umbrella-borne Mary Poppins glides down on to London’s Cherry Tree Lane again, to help a new generation of children discover the wondrous world of the imagination.

Taking over the role of the magical nanny originally played by Julie Andrews, British actress Emily Blunt is pitch-perfect. This time around, she has help in the form of a trusty local lamplighter (Lin-Manuel Miranda), and she and her charges embark on a series of escapades aimed at staving off the imminent foreclosure of the family home.

Celebrated director Rob Marshall (Chicago) stages several song and dance interludes set to catchy tunes such as ‘A cover is not a book’ and ‘Trip a little light fantastic’.

The star-studded cast includes Colin Firth as a deceitful banker, Julie Walters as the housekeeper and Meryl Streep as the aptly named Topsy-Turvy.

Best of all, there are smashing cameos by the nonagenarian legends Dick Van Dyke (who played the chimney sweep in the original) and Angela Lansbury.

To be sure, the sequel isn’t as incandescent as the 1964 version of the PL Travers tale, but Mary Poppins Returns is nevertheless full of joyous optimism. Revel in it.