The Sound of Music

OxOps was able to draw on a large company and a 14-piece orchestra for their fabulous presentation of this popular and perennial musical – an opportunity for them to showcase the breadth and depth of the talent in their ranks in front of a supportive audience of friends, family, and theatregoers who know and appreciate the quality of the group’s work.

The orchestra brought out all the emotion in the score without ever imposing itself over the performers.  The unaccompanied singing, notably the nuns in Nonnberg Abbey, demonstrated rock solid unison and pitch perfect harmonies, while the voices of the young performers of the von Trapp family blended faultlessly together.  Indeed, the excellent portrayals of the von Trapp children were amongst the many highlights of the production.  The military discipline imposed on them by their father can sometimes result in a well-drilled but somewhat characterless family group, but not so here as the Director exploited every opportunity to bring out each child’s individuality.

An unusual feature of this production was that it featured a children’s ensemble, who added colour and context to many of the more public scenes, as well as providing further opportunities for young performers to step out on the New Theatre stage.  The Director was clearly mindful of the dangers of allowing this ensemble to mingle with the von Trapp children, whose isolation is a key reason for their exceptionalism, but the young performers’ energy and playfulness was utilised to advantage in settings such as the local market place.

The production values were as high as one would hope and expect in an OxOps presentation.  The good quality hired sets featured some jaw-dropping mountain scenery, and impressive detailing such as the bookcases in the Mother Abbess’s office.  The lighting design included some atmospheric backcloths, interesting sunsets, and effective cross-fades from downstage to upstage of the gauze, as well as a few set pieces such as the full moon shining over the von Trapps.  The costume team had assembled an impressive array of costumes, from the curtain-based outfits for the children to the various skirts and suits in authentic 1930s styles, with just a touch of alpine fashion thrown in.  Leading principals were provided with several outfits as appropriate.

It was interesting to see how the episodic structure of the piece can be blurred, with live transitions between scenes and greater involvement of the company in exchanges which are normally played out by small ensembles.  These scenes were filled with detail, and I liked the way in which Maria interacted very positively with the ensemble children in the Abbey, justifying her placement as a governess and supporting the warm relationships she quickly established with the von Trapps.  There were also some novel and imaginative touches in the presentation of “Do-Re-Mi”, for example, as the context of the song moved from the von Trapp’s house to the local market, and drew in various local and colourful characters.

In some ways this production felt like a modest re-imagining of this classic musical, with its inclusivity and flow, but critically the narrative and relationships at the very heart of the piece survived unscathed.  Indeed some of the characterisation, perhaps most notably of the children, was as good as I can remember, and I have seen a lot of productions of “The Sound of Music”.  The excellent performances, strong singing, impeccable orchestra and professional quality presentation resulted in a production which will surely live long in everyone’s memory.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.