The Sound Of Music

This is such an iconic show that it has to be performed according to a well-loved formula.   BasOp were fairly faithful to the original concept, although there were one or two occasions when they deviated from what is known and expected.

The stage at the Palace is much smaller than the one, the society is used to, at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon and this was clear from the limited set that they were able to have on this stage.  However, all the essential elements were there and, what they were able to use, was effective.   Although, on my first visit, some of the scenery was left on so we had a bush in the drawing room!  It didn’t happen when I saw the show the second night so the crew had obviously got the hang of it by then.

Maria, played by Angela Phillips was very good although I didn’t get any sense of passion between her and Captain Von Trapp, played by Joe Drury.  John Spriggs gave a creditable performance as Max Detweiler, bringing out the essential comedy of the part.  Charlotte Cavedasca gave a very good performance as Liesl and she has a fine singing voice as well.

Joan Doubleday (Mother Abbess) sang the her song, Climb Every Mountain, beautifully and she was supported by Sarah Dallender (Sister Berthe) Fay Nair (Sister Margaretta) and Diane Hills (Sister Sophia)

The other Principals worked hard at the characters, although there was a variation of pace that adversely affected the show and I felt that the show needed a few more rehearsals to get it running smoothly.  However I am conscious that moving from the larger stage that they are used to, probably, gave them a lot more headaches than they had appreciated might be the case.  Hopefully, now that the company have done a show at this theatre, they will be more prepared for the specific difficulties that need to be overcome to put on a show at the Palace.

I was fortunate enough to see both teams of children perform and very good they were too.  They lit up the stage every time they appeared and brought a welcome lift to the proceedings.

Costumes were, in the main, very good, although I would have liked to see a more glamorous look for Elsa Schraeder.  However the biggest issue I have with the costumes was in the lack of attention to detail.  Maria never wore the postulants head dress that would have been a requirement for a postulant or novice in the confines of the Abbey.  The dialogue clearly states that the children’s play costumes were made out of old curtains.  But the curtains in Maria’s bedroom were plain blue (and far too grand for a governesses room!) and the children’s costumes were floral!  In one of the performances, one of the nuns lost her head dress; again this was an absolute taboo in the Abbey.  It doesn’t take a minute to check that head dresses are firmly in place and clipped as required.  It is attention to such detail that raises a production from average to exceptional.

There was also a long pause between Maria leaving the castle and reappearing at the Abbey, so much so that several members of the audience got up and walked out, thinking it was the interval!  I appreciate that it was to give her a chance to change but it is possible to stretch the previous scene to give her time and, if she had underdressed she would have been fine.  Having seen this show many times I have never experienced that delay before so it is obviously possible to overcome it.

The lighting, at times, lacked mood and did little to enhance the performance.  Mics were late being turned on so we missed the start of many of the lines.   Again, I am assuming that much of this was due to unfamiliarity with the theatre so I hope that the next production will show an improvement in these areas.

The positive is that the audience obviously enjoyed the show and it was lovely that the society has managed to keep their audience despite being forced to move several miles from their usual venue.

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