The Sound of Music
Information
- Date
- 11th October 2018
- Society
- Downham Amateur Dramatic Society (DADS)
- Venue
- Downham Market Town Hall
- Type of Production
- Musical
- Director
- Katherine Philipot
- Musical Director
- Cy Payne
- Choreographer
- Chloe Philipot
There are a lot of things I will miss about being the NODA Rep for Area 4 North when my hat is finally hung up on New Year’s Eve. High on that list will be walking into Downham Town Hall and being met by the wonderful John Roust. Always a smile, always so friendly and interesting to talk to. As we talked on this occasion, I said to him as I say to you now, it wasn’t very long ago that the very idea of putting on a major musical the size and scale of Mr Rodgers and Mr Hammerstein’s ‘The Sound of Music’ would have been fanciful... to say the very least. And yet, funnily enough, ever since the day I sat open mouthed as they delivered an stunning ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (which at that time was way above their recognised standard) I knew this is where we (they) were going. So here I was, taking my raised seat, trembling with excitement and nerves, for opening night.
The other thing I will miss from this Society is the jaw dropping tech that is generally the first thing you see as you enter the auditorium. The prodigiously talented (and driven) Jamie Robinson (J. R. Light & Sound) had thrown the kitchen sink at it … once again. I always enquire, and for this production there were seven trailer loads and two days work! That man’s commitment to this thing called amateur theatre is truly inspiring! The set (design and build by Steve Harper) was astonishing. I can only guess at how much time and effort it took, but it was perfect. Colourful and functional with the staircase (assisted by Dave Smedmor) alone worth every penny of the ticket price. Sound (Jamie Robinson – J.R. Light and Sound) was excellent, with just the one radio mic putting up a fight. Vocal and music balance was good, and every word sung was perfectly audible. Lighting (Robert Hornett …. more…. a lot more of him later!) was bang on the money! Costumes (Janet Roust, Dereham Theatre and Dame Judy Parsons) were truly outstanding. The nuns looked authentic and the children looked (to me) as if they had walked straight out of the film! Complimentary hair and make-up (individual performers own work) were also top-notch. Incidental props were plentiful and caused me no offence whatsoever.
Unusually for Am-Dram, you don’t get a chorus with this title. The main cast provide all the bodies needed for many excellent dance routines. The choreography by Chloe Philipot was unobtrusive and always perfectly in keeping with the appropriate scene. The dancing nodded gently in reverence to the cinemographic benchmark but was never a slave to perceived protocol. If there is a chorus in ‘The Sound of Music’, it would be the Nun’s chorus and, since this was my first time at a stage production of this title, I was surprised at how much of the show’s (slightly long) running time was taken up with religious recital. The Nuns (Kelly Baxter, Sharon Wiseman, Becky Hornett, Lynne Martin and Caroline Pocock) were led in some considerable style by Megan Abbott as Sister Berthe and Janet Stafford as The Mother Abbess. Both fine ladies have magnificent voices and Miss Abbott (clearly on loan from Watlington) had completely mastered the choral singing with her contribution lifting the overall sound of the ladies to a place that would have only been aspirational without her. In addition, her excellent acting was a major asset. Likewise, Mrs Stafford is an accomplished actress and her light touch with the comedy really helped things along. ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ got just a little high for her in places, but she hit all the notes and delivered a superb characterisation.
Other players in the supporting cast were Robert Hornett (more still to come) as Baron Elberfeld, Henry Wilson as Herr Zeller and a lovely little cameo that I really enjoyed from Dale Hornsby as Admiral von Schreiber - proving that there are no small parts, only small performances.
Unusually, this musical has a few supporting players with pivotal roles and each one executed their duties with a flourish. Pamela Purple as the von Trapp housekeeper, Frau Schmidt, Burtie Welland as the butler, Franz, and of course Charlie Muskett as the post boy Rolf. I noted how, whilst they didn’t have much to say, they were crucial to the creation of normality and credibility in each scene before the plot was introduced.
In the more prominent roles really enjoyed Sarah Melia as Elsa Schraeder. I don’t think I have seen her on this stage before, but Mrs Melia is a fine actress and a very attractive lady. It was interesting how she is painted a little kindlier in the stage show than she is in the film. There are several roles, written in musicals that have Richard Abel’s name indelibly printed on them. The part of Berlin freeloader and Music Festival organiser, Max Detweiler is one of those roles. Not surprisingly, Mr Abel was magnificent throughout! Phil Melia seems to have washed up in Downham relatively recently and they should be grateful for it. I loved his direction of the recent production of John Godber’s ‘Bouncers’. This time out he was knee-deep in acting and singing as the legendary Austrian Patriarch, Captain Georg von Trapp. Perfectly cast, Mr Melia acted and sang to a very high standard looking completely relaxed at all times. He was (in my opinion) one of the best things in the production.
At the start of this review I mentioned the pivotal production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. It starred Watlington’s (or is it Downham’s) Georgia Smith as Audrey, and she was remarkable! This time Miss Smith took on the demanding role of troubled novice, Maria Rainer, perhaps one of the cinema’s most iconic characters. She may have been (like all those who have come before her) in the shadow of Julie Andrews, but still managed to stamp her authority on the character. An exquisite singing voice and a demure personality, Miss Smith was everything you could want from any Maria. It has to be said that the orchestra made her life a little tricky, and perhaps prevented her singing from sounding as good as I know it can be.
Penultimate paragraph honours were only ever going one way … or do I mean 7 ways. The von Trapp children were enchanting. Grace Baxter as Gretl, Alice Hornsby as Marta, Harriet Melia as Brigitta, Toby Melia as Kurt, Genevieve Wright as Louisa and Lee Clifton as Friedrich. With Miss Wright particularly watchable with a level of facial acting that made me suspect she was older than she looked. She was, and she was brilliant. The whole team owed much to another supremely talented singer/actress, Chloe Philipot, who was simply perfection as ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen’ year-old, Liesl. They were such a team always watching out for each other and looking more like a family than most families I know!! The acting, the singing and the dancing all close to perfection and even with an orchestra that didn’t help the inexperienced, they got through brilliantly.
This Is a long and difficult show and there is no doubt that there was a little of the first night about the performance. The orchestra was vast and looked to consist of some accomplished musicians but what they seemed to lack was co-ordination. They all seemed to have different ideas when they should start each piece, and equally seemed to finish each piece independently. The cover around them meant I could not see who (if anyone) was conducting, but it was a problem in every song and must have made the lives of the singers unnecessarily difficult. Having said that, my sincere compliments to Director, Kathy Philipot. The show looked wonderful and the technical direction was flawless. Each beautiful scene was perfectly framed, and the on-stage cast looked completely in tune with their characters. More importantly, everyone knew their lines, moves and dance steps and that is the ultimate sign of good direction. After the final curtain had dropped I had the very good fortune to bump into Robert Hornett (I told you there would be more). I know he has stepped back a bit in the last couple of years, but I threw my arms around him and took the opportunity to remind him that, without his leadership at the turning point of this society, the show I had just seen would not have been possible. I believe Mr Hornett to be the father of modern Amateur Theatre at Downham, and his guidance during the journey should not be overlooked. It was an excellent evening’s entertainment. Amongst some very good friends. I am completely confident that things would have settled down during the run, and I would bet a hat full of dollars that the final show was even better than all those that had preceded it. Bravo D.A.D.S. I shall miss you all so terribly.
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