The Sound of Music

It was a delight to see this group of 33 young people, aged from 8-18, perform this perennial favourite to such an enthusiastic and appreciative audience. Emily Bannerman was delightful as Maria with a beautiful singing voice and good stage presence. Dylan Shearer as Georg Von Trapp gave a very strong performance as the outwardly stern but deeply unhappy Captain. I particularly liked the touching duet “An Ordinary Couple” between him and Maria when they finally admit their love for each other. Rebecca West as Mother Abbess was another strong character with a soaring soprano voice shown to its best in “Climb Every Mountain”. Molly Robertson as Baroness Elsa Schrader looked every inch the strong, sophisticated aristocrat using her feminine ways to get what she desired. I loved her interactions with Max Detweiler, played by Logan McKerron, which added some comedy - especially in the songs “How Will Love Survive” and “No Way To Stop It”. The Von Trapp children – Liesl (Emmah Chibesakunda), Friedrich (Callum Birrell), Louisa (Erin Mehigan), Kurt (Corey Adam), Brigitta (Lilly Bannerman), Marta (Skye Miller) and last but not least Gretl (Libby Adam) – made a truly convincing family group with excellent singing and movement in the “Do–Re-Mi” and “So Long, Farewell” numbers. I also liked them in “The Lonely Goatherd”, when they acted as puppeteers to the songs puppet characters played by members of the chorus, which brought much laughter from the audience. Emmah Chibesakunda (Liesl) had a beautiful voice shown to its best in “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” duet with Rolf (Aiden Combe). Strong support was given by Erin Tierney (housekeeper Frau Schmidt), Aria Kirkton (butler Franz), and Millie McMillan (Herr Zeller). There is not much for the chorus to do in this show but when they did appear the chorus of Nuns/Townspeople sang and moved well. The 10 piece orchestra, under the baton of Alisdair Sneden, played well and were sympathetic to the company never overpowering them. The set, with its impressive central staircase, worked well with the changes of scene being swift. The costuming was always appropriate to characters and the era. Well done Giz Giz for a most enjoyable evening.

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