THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Yeadon Theatre Companys’ production of this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic had been given a fresh approach, which provided both a slick and enjoyable production, playing to packed houses at the beautiful Yeadon Town Hall Theatre.

The show opened with a beautifully sung ‘Preludium’ which the Mother Abbess (Joan Kay) and the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey sung with absolute perfection.

Lucy Boniface as Maria Rainer was just delightful in the role. Lucy was perfectly cast in this part!  Maria longs to become a nun, but her love of singing doesn’t quite conform to the strict rules of the Abbey. She is sent to the home of Captain von Trapp (Andre Stolarski) to be the governess to his seven children. At first, she is quite overwhelmed by all these children who have had such a strict upbringing but soon finds that they love singing just as much as she does. Her affinity and warmth with the children was really evident and they all had a captivating bond.

The children (Team Whiskers on the night I watched the show) were all delightful and a joy to watch, each one of them confident in their individual characters. Maria (Lucy) had a lovely relationship with them all and played out some really lovely scenes.  This team of delightful Von Trapp children were played by Niamh Murphy (Leisl) being the oldest of the children, Alex Hicks (Friedrich), Rachel Foster (Louisa), Tobi Adams Mead (Kurt – ‘God bless Kurt’), Libby Falkingham (Brigitta) and Ava Priestley (Marta). The youngest Gretl was ‘cutely’ played by Amelia Massie and she completely stole the audiences hearts!  Their singing, acting and dancing was just so captivating, and their individual personalities shone through.  

Niamh Murphy was a lovely Liesl and played ‘the innocent’ beautifully.  Kylan Granger as Rolf Gruber was just charming and both have lovely singing voices, which blended perfectly in ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen’ - this was a particular highlight for me.

Their father, Captain von Trapp, a widower, rules his children just like he rules the men on his ship. However, as time goes by after Maria’s arrival, he learns to show his warmth towards the children.  Andre Stolarski (in his first leading man role for this Company) drew out the character change from the strict “march” loving navy officer to the warm loving father.

I really enjoyed David Kirks’ portrayal of Max Detweiler who brought lots of humour and charisma to the role and he had a great relationship with Baroness Elsa Schraeder, confidently played by Georgia Dennis.

Joan Kay as Mother Abbess gave an experienced and polished performance, and her rendition of ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ was well received by the audience as the climax to the end of Act 1.

The show was supported by a superb orchestra (hidden away at the back of the stage) under the excellent baton wielding MD, Adam Boniface.

The harmonies from the nuns came across beautifully - they were strong and sounded perfectly clear in Preludium, Morning Hymn, Gaudeamus Domino, Confitemini Domino, and of course in Climb Ev’ry Mountain with Mother Abbess.

The cast was completed by excellent support from Martin Isbister as Franz, Rowena Saville as Frau Schmidt, Jason Walker as Herr Zeller and Ryan Jones as Admiral von Schreiber, plus an ensemble of younger cast members who all had their parts to play throughout the production.

The set constructed by Jamie Hudson & Yeadon Town Hall Theatre team was extremely effective and worked excellently with a very effective upper level and clever use of projection.  This must have been quite daunting to cast members negotiating the stairs so many times, but they all mastered it with such confidence.

The pace of the show was not slowed down through scene changes as the cast brought on the various props – the scene changes were nicely choreographed with almost military precision!

Excellent lighting (by Jamie Hudson & Yeadon Town Hall Theatre team) which complemented the set and enhanced the mood.  Superb sound (Oli Trenouth) which provided such clarity in both diction and song from everyone on stage.  The balance between orchestra and players on stage was perfect – the music never overpowered the performers.

Congratulations to Anita, Adam and the whole cast and crew of The Sound of Music.  This classic never fails to entertain and is one of my all-time favourite things!!!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.