Patti Newton says her late, great husband Bert may have played a part in her getting ‘back on the horse’ when she was offered the role of the Bird Woman in the stage production of Mary Poppins.
Newton joined Clairsy & Lisa for a chat about her role in one of the smaller – but incredibly moving – scenes in the show.
Patti Newton as the Bird Woman in the Australian stage production of ‘Mary Poppins’
“I didn’t intend for this to happen,” she said, almost apologetically. “I was feeling a bit down with Bert and with everything that happened, and wasn’t too sure how I was coping, and how I was going to cope, and I thought I probably need to do something different.”
Her husband, and Australian entertainment legend Bert Newton passed away on October 30, 2021, at aged 83. The pair were married for 46 years.
“When I got the call [about Mary Poppins], I thought, ‘this could be sent from heaven’.”
For Patti, playing the Bird Woman was simply the perfect re-introduction back to treading the boards.
“It’s a beautiful character, and only a cameo role so it’s not like I had major stuff to learn,” she remarked before adding, “and I thought that Bert would be very happy with me doing it.”
Hit PLAY for the full chat…
Mary Poppins is on now at Crown until October 22
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