The Sound of Music

This stage musical opened on Broadway in 1959 and was first seen in London in 1961. The music was by Richard Rodgers and the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse was suggested by “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp.

It concerns a young postulant Maria Rainer, who appears to be experiencing difficulty in settling into life in the Nonnberg Abbey and as a result is sent to be a temporary governess to a motherless family of seven children. Maria’s bright personality soon endears her to the Von Trapp children and their father, Captain Von Trapp.  

Maria is released from her vows and marries the Captain only to find that he is required to report immediately for service in the Nazi Navy. Nazi personnel call to escort the Captain to his ship but while participating in a singing competition the whole family escape over the mountains to Switzerland.

(In 1965 an American film of the same name was produced which was an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical; it was beautifully filmed on location in Austria and has become extremely popular since being frequently shown in many countries.)

In this BOSMTG production the part of Maria Rainer was played by Helen Graves, an accomplished actress who has great stage presence and the flexibility to seamlessly change from being as  “unpredictable as weather” and “flighty as a feather” to being a mature mother-figure to seven children as the story unfolds. Her songs were beautifully delivered. Christian Slingsby as Captain Georg Von Trapp did well to maintain his image of a disciplinarian whilst working with such gorgeous young players. Sharon Sinnott playing Mother Abbess was very convincing as a woman having much understanding of the world and the people in it, as well as possessing an amazing voice.

Jenny Cartwright playing Elsa Schraeder gave a very realistic portrayal of an astute business woman. Mark Parkin playing Max Detweiler did very well at demonstrating his ability to change his loyalty as the circumstances required. Eve Tointon playing Leisl and Joe Mc Garel as Rolf Gruber conducted their stage relationship as young lovers exquisitely.

Team A were the Von Trapp Children in the show I saw; they were Eve Tointon as Leisl, Harry Baggaley as Friedrich, Precious Stewart-Coates as Louisa, Gabriel Sinnott as Kurt, Elizabeth Morris-Sampson as Brigitta, Amelia Baggaley as Marta, Charlotte Cartwright as Gretl. Thank you so much for your wonderful contributions to the show. Well done!

The musical accompaniment to the well-known songs was superbly provided by Musical Director Marc Murray. This was top quality entertainment delivered to a very appreciative audience.

 

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