Photo by Deb Gau Mary Poppins, played by Sara Vogt, gets acquainted with Michael and Jane Banks, played by Jacob Christensen and Sidney Court, in a scene from “Mary Poppins.” The musical opens Thursday night at the Lake Benton Opera House.

LAKE BENTON — Sara Vogt said she was excited to be part of this summer’s musical at the Lake Benton Opera House — and a little emotional, too. She was playing her dream role.

“I grew up with Mary Poppins,” said Vogt, a Balaton resident. “This is a role I’ve always wanted to play.”

Vogt and the cast of “Mary Poppins” will be sharing the well-loved story and music with audiences starting Thursday night. While there are some parts of the show that area residents may be familiar with, there are also plenty of new surprises, cast and crew members said this week.

Emma Lipinski, assistant director for the show, said it’s been exciting to work with the cast, “because I know what they can do.” There are a lot of good actors, singers and dancers involved with the play, she said. “The actors bring it to life.”

While many people know “Mary Poppins” from the Disney movie, the Broadway musical version is a little different from the film. The show combines elements from both the movie and the “Mary Poppins” books by P.L. Travers. However, the core of the story is the same: when Mary Poppins arrives in London to be a nanny for young Jane and Michael Banks, unexpected things start to happen.

“A lot of the songs are the same, and there are some new ones,” Lipinski said. She said there will be plenty of tunes the audience will recognize, from “A Spoonful of Sugar” to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

Lipinski said the play follows Michael and Jane’s adventures with Mary, and how they encourage the strict Mr. Banks to be more present for his family.

Mary Poppins was a big role to take on, especially at the Opera House, Vogt said.

“There are a lot of wonderful people on this stage,” she said.

Jacob Christensen, who plays Michael Banks, said his character was fun to get to play.

“He’s kind of a brat-face, until the end of the show,” Christensen said. The Banks children become less mischievous over the course of the story, said Christensen and Sidney Court, who plays Jane Banks.

Court said “Mary Poppins” will be her first show at the Opera House. It’s also her first time playing part of the main cast in a play.

“It’s very different to be on stage most of the time,” she said.

“It’s been a whole lot of fun,” she said. “Everyone here has been so friendly.”

Music and magic are two big parts of “Mary Poppins.” Lipinski said the play has some special effects for the magical aspects of the story. In one scene, Mary is able to pull large objects like a coat rack out of her seemingly empty bag.

Lipinski said Robyn Condelli’s choreography is also an important part of the show, as the cast dance in the big musical numbers. Some of the music and moves cast members had to perform could get a little tricky. Court said the song “Practically Perfect” was challenging to sing.

“It’s so fast, it’s hard to get the timing right,” she said.

“I like ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,'” Christensen said. “There’s a part where I spell it with my hands while singing it.”

“I think the audience is really going to like that choreography,” Lipinski said.

Performances of “Mary Poppins” will run July 20-13, and July 26-30 in Lake Benton. Tickets and information on show times are available online at lakebentonoperahouse.org.