Chaotic mornings parenting and several shows a day: A day in the life of actor Lucy Maunder.

Have you ever been to a musical and wondered what it would actually be like to star in one?  

You're witnessing an ensemble cast singing, dancing and acting in front of hundreds of people, before taking a bow to our applaud.

It seems exhilarating.

But while we sit through two hours of entertainment, they've been working up to that moment for months – early mornings and countless hours of rehearsals, costume fittings, and hair and makeup.

Lucy Maunder is an actor, currently playing Winfred Banks in Mary Poppins the Musical. The show has just arrived in Melbourne, and will head to Adelaide in mid-2023.

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Lucy's day generally begins at 7am. 

Her partner, Jared, leaves for work at 5am (the couple own a café in Strathmore), so her morning begins by getting their six-year-old daughter, Edie, ready for school.

"It is utter chaos from the second I peel my eyes open," the actor told Mamamia.

"[I'm] sorting her lunch, which I should have done the night before, and trying to calm my very silly and very gorgeous labrador, Hank."

It's then time for coffee, immediately. "I cannot function without it," she said.

"I’ve trained Edie to turn the coffee machine on and make me a cup (best thing I ever did). She wakes me up with, 'Mummy here’s your coffee,' and a cuddle. Divine."

Then it's straight to school drop-off – which is next to the family's café – and onto coffee number two. Convenient.

While COVID lockdowns are over (thank goodness), comfortable clothes continue to be on heavy rotation for Lucy.

"A matching lounge set is still my vibe – much to my partner’s horror," she told us.

Since she spends so much time wearing makeup on-stage, the actor doesn't bother with it when she's not working. 

During the show's run, not every day looks the same. 

Weekends are the most intense as there are five shows from Friday night through to Sunday night, including matinee performances and evenings.

Melbourne’s very own leading lady Marina Prior has joined the all-star cast for the limited season, along with Stefanie Jones as Mary and Jack Chambers as Bert.

Image: Daniel Boud.

On days with a matinee performance, Lucy will leave for the theatre at 11am to be there by midday, while on show days she'll leave at 5pm to be there by six.

On arrival, cast members do a physical and vocal warm up, then Lucy will do her makeup and meet with the Deputy Head of Wigs, Toni, and her dresser, Sonny, to get her wig and costume on 15 minutes before the show begins. 

Mary Poppins the Musical runs for two hours and 45 minutes and is "a proper Disney spectacular," Lucy tells us.

"It’s such a joyous, uplifting and magical show that everyone says just sweeps you away! 

"The schedule also flies. Sometimes in school holidays we’ll have more matinees or sometimes more shows."

Lucy will fill up her show day lunches on either a salad, stir-fry or sashimi. She opts for any lighter meals that "won't make me curse being in a tight corset more than I already do". 

For dinner, she'll have veggies on show days and something like pasta on a day off.

At the moment, Lucy and her family are busy selling their home, so fitness is "out the window".

"But usually I love walking and I love Pilates," she said. 

"Other than that, I need to meditate daily. I was on tour away from the family all last year and flying constantly, so I need a second to breathe and stop even if it’s just for 10 minutes. 

"Otherwise, I lose my mind," she added.

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Lucy's workday generally wraps at 10pm following an evening performance.

She'll have some quiet time to herself on the drive home before winding down with some reality TV before bed.

"I’m devastated every night I get home and there’s not a fresh crisp episode of Married at First Sight to watch," she said.

"When it's over, the obsession switches to MasterChef, so I’m good with my reality TV schedule."

She tries to get to bed before midnight, but that's not always possible.

"There’s a lot going on at the moment so I’m always doing something," she said.

"Making some kind of list for what I have to achieve the next day with house related stuff and real estate agents."

"Once this period is over I hope to have a lot more down time," she added.

Between shows, parenting and finding time for herself, Lucy admits she's spread thin, "but like most parents you just do what you have to, on less sleep than you’d like and just get it done."

Image: Daniel Boud.

Although she wishes she was home more in the evenings to be with her family, she gets time before school and sometimes after.

She also has Monday and Tuesday free.

"[Edie's] an amazing kid, and she’s been on tour with me since she was six weeks old so she completely gets my world," Lucy said.

"We’re trying to steer her away from it herself, but something tells me we won’t have much luck."

The actor also admits she loves the chaos which is her life.

"I thrive on being busy. I can’t stop for very long and there’s always something to do," she said. 

"It drives the closest people around me wild."

Book your tickets for Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Mary Poppins the Musical at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre for a limited season. Coming soon to Adelaide's Festival Theatre in July 2023.

Feature Image: Instagram/@lucymaunder