The Sound Of Music

Romiley Operatic Society stage one of the world’s best loved musicals, telling the heartwarming story of the Von Trapp family and their eventual getaway across the Austrian mountains to safety.

Kevin Siddall as Captain Georg Von Trapp sung well and certainly looked the part. We got the stringent disposition to begin with though the full progression of the captain’s journey wasn’t displayed as I didn’t feel his character warm up or relax as he bonded with his children and Maria.

Hannah Davis as Maria is certainly not a problem to be solved, each of her many songs was a delight, she acted the part with the perfect balance of grace and candour, her entire performance was effortless and wonderfully charming – a worthy leading lady with great stamina and expertise.

The choreography by Debbie Wood, although clean and well-rehearsed could have been a little more inventive. I appreciate choreographers who get inspiration from the film or original production but feel that it’s a swindle to directly imitate the moves from the film.  However, the cast delivered each routine with strength and certainty which indeed gave credit to her ability as a choreographer.

The direction by Sheryl Heydock-Howorth, the costumes and even the Von Trapp’s garden backcloth were all palpable salutes to the film. I do like to see societies put their own stamp of originality on classic pieces such as these but also appreciate (in this case) that some, if not most, of these decisions were not in the production teams control, none the less, we got a consistent presentation of this traditional show.

Musically, under the direction of Claire Sweeney, the female ensemble sounded superb, their harmonies were well balanced, clear and confident. The Orchestra played this classic score with aplomb, the wedding procession was a particular highlight.

The seven Von Trapp children were a joy! Freya Preston as Gretl (a part famed for stealing the show) was delightful and Adam Lambe as Kurt (often one of the more forgettable Von Trapp’s) gave an impressive and stand out performance - he’s one to watch!

We got creditable support from Joy Siddall as Mother Abbess who acted her scenes with sincerity and her delivery of ‘Climb Every Mountain’ was powerful and compelling.

Lord Lloyd Webber once said "The Sound Of Music is one of the greatest Broadway scores ever written ". I cannot deny that it is probably one of the most successful Broadway scores containing so many catchy songs that everyone knows before they get into the theatre. 54 years since the score was written there is no doubt that "The Sound Of Music" is a timeless classic and due to the amount of people in the audience at ROS’s production, it remains as popular as ever!

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