Setting the stage for Mary Poppins

Lights are fixed into place, special effects are rigged and the house in Cherry Tree Lane is taking pride of place on stage.

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Mary Poppins comes to life before your very eyes – and it all happens behind the scenes.

The original supernanny flies into Birmingham tomorrow night. But before she arrives, a crew of more than 50 technical and lighting staff, carpenters and "flymen" are hard at work building the spectacular set at the city's Hippodrome theatre, while the wardrobe department are busy arranging the thousands of costumes and wigs backstage.

The touring production of the hit musical has arrived in the city, and it has proved to be a major undertaking.

Dozens of technical staff have been working around the clock to build the complex set and make sure everything is in its place for opening night tomorrow.

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's award-winning musical hit the road following a successful run in London's West End. The all-singing and all-dancing production, which sees Caroline Sheen in the title role, tells the story of a nanny who transforms the Banks family by bringing a little magic into their lives.

Eighteen 45ft articulated lorries have brought the set, costumes, technical equipment and props to the Hippodrome from Plymouth, where the show opened last month.

But with so much work involved is it a logistical nightmare for those behind the scenes?

"Not a nightmare as such," says production manager, Jerry Donaldson. "I view it more as a challenge. But it is a very big show."

As soon as Mary Poppins flew off the Plymouth stage for the last time on Saturday night, the technical crew began the mammoth task of packing up and loading up the trailers in preparation for the journey up to the West Midlands.

"We started as soon as the show finished in Plymouth at 10.30pm and worked through the night," Jerry says.

Within 24 hours the crew and their 18 artics – full of costumes, wigs and props – had arrived in Birmingham.

"It was actually a very quick turnaround for a show this size," says Jerry. "We've had four days to get the stage set for the production, whereas the likes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang would take a week and a half."

Birmingham Hippodrome is the only Midlands date on this tour – and is one of only five British dates the show can actually play, as the size and architecture of the venue is an important factor for the "flying" scenes – especially for Mary's magical exit from the show. "We had to do a survey of the structure in advance to make sure everything's perfect for Mary's scene when she flies into the auditorium," says Jerry.

"And everything fits in perfectly in Birmingham," he says.

Much of the musical is set in the Banks family home in Cherry Tree Lane which looks like a pencil sketch in a storybook – until it magically opens up to reveal the house inside on several levels – with the action moving from the ground to the lower and upper levels and finally to the rooftops.

Jerry admits it is the house which is a particularly tricky part of the set to get in place. "The house is in three big parts, but it can be pretty tricky to get it right due to the way it has to move on stage," he says, as his technical crew put it together on stage before our very eyes.

"But the success of it all comes down to good planning, really."

While the technical crew, lighting staff, carpenters and flymen are hard at work building the spectacular set, the wardrobe department is busy arranging the thousands of individual pieces of costumes and wigs which make up the "wardrobe village" at the back of the theatre's enormous stage. The costumes alone fill two of the articulated trucks, so the department becomes a "village" backstage.

Timing is the key to success when it comes to the costumes, admits the show's wardrobe mistress Trish McAuley, who is one of a team of four who work in the department alongside 11 local dressers at each venue.

"It's all down to timing," says Trish, who has been touring with shows for 20 years. "It's a fast-moving show and I have to make sure that every bit of costume is in the right place at the right time."

There are thousands of colourful items that make up the wardrobe village and Mary alone has around 20 costume changes in the musical.

"The Jolly Holiday scene moves at a fast pace and we have 30 seconds for the costume change," says Trish.

"That scene really is a pit-stop change for Mary – and we even change her lipstick," she says.

When the stars of the show aren't getting changed at the side of the stage, they will be back in the department changing.

"At any one time there can be 30 people changing," says Trish.

"Which is why we need to keep it so well organised. We label everything and everyone has a named section."

But Trish's work is not just confined to dressing the stars, she and her colleagues spend much of their time loading washing machines.

"This job may not be as glamorous as it seems – I do actually wash clothes for a living," she says.

Three washing machines, three tumble dryers and two big ovens were also unloaded from the trailers.

"We are constantly doing laundry," she adds. "This really is a challenging show, but that's how I like it."

l Mary Poppins runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from tomorrow to September 27. Tickets, from £16.50 to £45, are available on 0844 338 5000 or at www.birminghamhippodrome.com