In my family, The Sound of Music is mandatory Christmas viewing. No holiday season would be complete without an afternoon on the sofa, accompanied by a tin of Roses and Julie Andrews singing her heart out on the Austrian Alps. But despite having seen the film so many times, I hadn't seen the stage show until last night, when a new production of the Rogers and Hammerstein musical opened in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre.
At first it was a little hard to avoid mental comparisons with the film, and while there are some differences in the musical, this new production provides plenty of references to the film through its impressive, multi-layered set and costuming. The chapel in the Abbey, and the Von Trapp family home stood out in particular, as well as the children's play clothes made from curtains, and the lavish dresses during the party scene.
Danielle Hope, who plays Maria, may be familiar to some audience members. She won the 2010 BBC talent competition Over The Rainbow (a musical theatre version of The X-Factor), which gave her the opportunity to play Dorothy in a West End production of The Wizard of Oz, and she does a good job here balancing naivety, with the maternal qualities of Maria. However the scene-stealer of the show is Jan Hartley as the Mother Superior, her performance of Climb Every Mountain was the musical highlight of the night.
The show is a must-see for any fan of the film, and a great way to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It runs in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre until August 29th.
