Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound Of Music” has always, as in ALWAYS, been one of my absolute favourites! An indulgence, if you will…
I watched it for the first time during the December Holidays at the age of 5 – and have watched it LITERALLY hundreds of times! Like any die-hard TSOM fan, I know most of the dialog by heart, and the songs are embedded in the deep recesses of my mind!
My first copy of the movie was on a VHS cassette (yes, I am THAT old!) – and with the advent of DVD’s, the very first time I saw it on offer in DVD form, I snatched up a copy and couldn’t wait to relive the glory of Maria, The Captain and those amazingly talented children – all 7 of them!
Being an avid theatre fan, I was over the moon when Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to produce this famous musical – and decided to use an exclusively South African cast!
The original story penned by Maria August Trapp, received great acclaim with the stage version in the early ’60’s but the movie version, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer stole the hearts of music lovers everywhere! The story revolves around a free-spirited young postulant who attends to the 7 children of a retired Navy Captain, only to fall in love with him after many humourous and emotional experiences follow their every experience!
This stage version is phenomenal!! The costumes, the set design, the music by an orchestra of note, the acting prowess of each actor at every level of the story’s development – every detail painstakingly attended to – this is a visual masterpiece and a treat for the ears! The only change i would have made, is to ensure that the role of the Captain (played by Andre Schwartz), although efficient (and good-looking), was lacking in the austere manner in which the Captain was perfectly portrayed by Christopher Plummer. Bethany Dickson who is a PERFECT match for Maria is EXCEPTIONAL!!! It seems she was BORN to play this role and her voice is amazing – each song FELT exactly the way it did in the film!
The children were beyond expectation, each understanding the nuances of their characters with great insight!
My children (also introduced to the world of TSOM from an early age) couldn’t stop talking about it, and singing the songs at the tops of their lungs, to the point that I have actually had to get the soundtrack on my PHONE so that they can listen (and sing along) whenever their little hearts desire!
Definitely one of the most amazing performances I’ve seen in a long, long, loooooooooooooooooooooong time! i
Lunar Reflection 