Audience members will bear witness to history being made as two cast members fly, walk up walls and hang upside down for the first time in a musical on the Taree stage.

Professional riggers/flyers have been hired to make it happen, and Grant Finlay has spent time training cast members Elizabeth Hall (Mary Poppins) and Jeremy Miller (Bert) in preparation.

Working with the harness and making it appear effortless has been a challenge for the pair, but one that will ultimately result in some of the most spectacular moments local audiences have ever seen.

Mary Poppins is the biggest and most expensive production Taree Arts Council has ever undertaken.

About 70 people have volunteered their time to help bring the show to the stage; either as cast members or working behind the scenes by building sets, painting sets and backdrops, creating costumes or being part of the backstage and technical crew.

The cast of 31 has spent the past six months working with director Gayle Cameron (who also directed Cabaret, Miss Saigon and Cats), musical director Don Secomb and choreographer Amanda Hammond, on songs, movement, dialogue and staging.

Mary Poppins is the story of a magical English nanny who arrives on the doorstep of the Banks family where the children are out of control, their nanny has quit, their father is more concerned about work and money and their mother is having difficulty dealing with things.

Through Mary's influence and the experiences she gives to them, they are reminded that family and love are worth more than material things.

Well known songs that will be performed include Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, A Spoonful of Sugar, Let's Go Fly a Kite and Chim Chim Cher-ee.

The roles of the Banks children are being shared between four young cast members who will appear in alternate performances.

Charlotte Reece and Georgina Saad play Jane while Cassidy Donovan and Wil Hellstedt play Michael.

Jodi Cooper is Mrs Banks and Travis McLaren is Mr Banks.

The ensemble includes Roslyn Clinch, Will Knight, Alex Wilson, Tristram de Jong, Jett Shoesmith, Ryan Lestrange, Bruce Wiseman, Liz Tilson, Marilyn Connors, Bridget Mason-Tisdell, Chris Alcock, Kim Stevens, Kylie Nelson, Paul Eade, Pamela Phillips, Mary Camphuis, Joanna Drake, Mikayla Atkins, Cassie Fenton, Rebecca McGuire, Katie Hall, Sarah Hammond and Emily French.

Mary Poppins opens at the Manning Entertainment Centre on Friday (tonight), with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays and evening performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Wednesdays, until November 22.

Tickets are available at the Manning Entertainment Centre website, www.themec.com.au, by phoning 6592 5466, or at the box office (open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 1pm), or at the door (although bookings are recommended).