FROM Britney Spears to Bert seems like a bit of a jump but top Australian performer and choreographer Matt Lee is loving every minute of his role in Mary Poppins, writes John Bultitude.

In his native Australia, Matt Lee is certainly a household name. A strong stage CV, a high TV profile and even a top theatrical award have helped make him one of the go-to names for major entertainment projects Down Under.

And he joins the UK cast of Mary Poppins with a bit of a pedigree. His performance as Bert in the show in his home country led to him winning the 2011 Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor In A Musical.

When the chance came up to return to the show on the other side of the world and reprise the role in this country, he jumped at it. Aside from the lead role of Mary, this is the must-have role and it also gave him the chance to once again work with the production’s co-producer, the globally-renowned impresario Cameron Mackintosh.

‘This is my fifth production for Cameron now,’ Matt laughed. ‘The first show I did when I was 17 was Rent which he produced. I did The Witches of Eastwick which was the first time I worked with the current production team. I then did Miss Saigon and then Mary Poppins and then they asked me to come over to the UK to be a part of this production.’

But what makes him such a sought-after person to work with? Matt explained: ‘Cameron is such a hands-on producer. He is so passionate about what he puts on. He is in our dressing rooms after every preview performance telling us how to make the show better and the great thing about Cameron is that he always can spot when something is not quite right.

‘He can always see what is not quite right and he has this brilliant team around him to put it right. His team is so loyal. I feel very lucky as Cameron is unquestionably the best producer in the world and you can tell one of his shows when you go and see it. I am just thrilled to be a part of the family really.’

While Mary Poppins is a production he is passionate about and he is winning the hearts of UK audiences, it is not his first time wowing people in this country. That came back in 2000 when he was working with the Australian band Sister2Sister as their choreographer, which saw him tour with the likes of boy-band Five and the legendary Queen of Pop Britney Spears, who is someone he has a lot of respect for.

Matt recalled: ‘At that time her second album was out and the world was loving her. She was 19 which was the same sort of age as me and she just wanted to hang out. I do feel for her though as it must be tough being in the spotlight as she was. It must be terrible not to be able to leave your house without four million cameras in your face. We caught a glimpse of it when she was just coming out of the arena and getting on her bus. People were just screaming her name.

‘When you start out that young in the same way as someone like Justin Bieber, it must mess with your head. It was heart-breaking watching her go through what she went though. I got a glimpse of her life and what she does on a day-to-day basis. Being that accessible to the public must come with a cost.’

And he is very conscious of the pressures of fame. In Australia, he was part of the hit reality show So You Think You Can Dance as well as being a high-profile name in the dance world which is very different from taking on a role like Bert.

‘It is putting yourself out there. When you play a character, you are going out and being someone else. When you are yourself and are being criticised for being you, you can’t change you. I worked in television a bit at home and I learned you can’t please everybody and you have to be ok with being who you are.’

It is a lesson that has served him well in a range of different projects and shows. As well as his work with Cameron Mackintosh and his TV projects, his CV is packed with a wide range of projects including roles in the likes of Singin’ In The Rain, Miss Saigon and Grease as well as choreographing for the likes of Hilary Duff, a Baz Luhrmann tribute and Australia’s prestigious Logie Awards.

And he has even been involved (albeit briefly) in that mainstay of Australian TV by being a part of events in Summer Bay when he was in the cast of Home And Away. Matt joked: ‘Don’t get too excited. If you blinked, you would miss me as I was only in one episode. I played a schoolkid who had to read something out in class in front of a girl in the show who was deaf. I do remember that Donald Fisher was involved.’

From Summer Bay back to this country, as Matt is eager to talk about the role of Bert. In common with the movie and PL Travers’ original stories, Bert’s background is a little mysterious but that essence of a cheeky chirpy guy is still there.

‘Bert is a jack of all trades. He does whatever he needs to get by. He is a street artist, a chimney-sweep and a lamplighter. I think his magic in the show comes from Mary. Mary enables him to go on this journey with the kids to teach them these lessons. It isn’t the first time he has been on this journey. People say she may have been his nanny. He is head-over-heels in love with her and he never gets her.’

Although Matt has been in the show before, he is enjoying the chance to work on a new production with a new cast. He explained: ‘Seeing the show through new eyes and seeing their interpretations of the roles are fantastic. Zizi Strallen is the most talented Mary I have ever worked with. She is so great at what she does.’

Because both he and his leading lady have such a strong dance background, that is being fed into the show as well: ‘They have added in a lot more dance thanks to our skillset. It is just awesome to see different interpretations of the characters. It is by far one of the best productions I have been part of. I enjoy being physical and I enjoy having a good cardio session through the show but it comes at a cost of sore legs and having to rest lots,’ said Matt.

The only slight downside is being away from home although this is more than counterbalanced by being part of the production. Matt said: ‘I had reached a point in my career in Australia where I was thinking “what now?” I was so lucky because I had so many great opportunities at home and I was itching for something else.

‘When this opportunity came up, I thought this was the change I was after. I do miss my mates but I don’t miss home as much as people think I do. The one thing I do miss is Vegemite. I haven’t had Marmite but I can’t cheat on Vegemite. I am also missing the weather, of course.’

So fingers crossed for good weather for the remainder of the tour and while there may be no Vegemite, Matt can content himself with a spoonful of sugar!

Mary Poppins runs at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth from Saturday, August 3 to Saturday, September 3.