Theatre Review: The Sound of Music (The Alexandra Stage Experience)
AD: This Press Night Review refers to the August 2024 Stage Experience Production of The Sound of Music at the Alexandra Theatre*
Each year, the Alexandra Theatre invites young talent to participate in their annual Stage Experience. Hundreds of applicants are whittled down, for positions both onstage and behind the scenes. Those that make it through face two weeks of intense preparation before the gaze of the theatre audience is on them for just four performances.
The Sound of Music is the nineteenth Stage Experience production, and the fifth that I have been lucky enough to review. And I think it may be their best yet.
You can read about the 2023 Stage Experience Show Bring It On here!
The Sound of Music is a celebrated and well-loved musical which barely needs an introduction. Even if you haven’t seen the iconic movie with Julie Andrews running around a stunning Salzburg backdrop, you’ll recognise the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein score.
If you’ve been living under a rock then The Sound of Music tells the story of a free-spirited young woman, Maria, struggling with her decision to become a nun. To help her choose the correct path, her Mother Abbess sends her to work as a governess to the seven Von Trapp children. Can her cheerful spirit thaw the strict Captain Von Trapp? Can singing really solve all problems? And is Maria more “mother” than “mother abbess”? All this takes place against the backdrop of the growing Nazi influence in Austria in 1938.
Molly Hopkins is charming as Maria, performing the role with youthful enthusiasm and charming naivety. She has bundles of character, and a beautiful voice, with crystal clear enunciation. She has all the Julie Andrews mannerisms which makes her portrayal familiar and somewhat comforting.
Captain Georg Van Trapp, played by Cree Henson, is suitably nonchalant. His vocals are excellent, and makes me think he’d make a great Phantom one day. Bessy Hingley – last seen as the villainous Eva in last year’s Bring It On – portrays “sixteen-going-on-seventeen” Liesl with a careful balance between maturity and girlishness, growing throughout the story as she navigates first love and first heartbreak. The team of Von Trapp children are all wonderful, showing a confidence which belies their youth.
Ella Blair’s stunning rendition of Climb Every Mountain would have been a showstopper if it wasn’t already the first act closer. I think many of us in the audience needed a little time to compose ourselves before the house lights went up. The scheming Elsa Schraeder is played by Molly Ann Bache, another familiar face in her final year as part of the Stage Experience cast. Her scenes with a wonderful Kieran Powell as Max add a little light relief.
There’s plenty of opportunity for the ensemble to shine too, with group numbers aplenty. Act two begins with a very exuberant Lonely Goatherd, the large cast filling every inch of the Alexandra’s stage. And the music festival segment allows some of the other performers to have their moment in the spotlight.
Once again, the Stage Experience is a joyous demonstration of the future of musical theatre. All of the cast perform with energy, commitment and passion, gaining confidence throughout and engaging this opening night audience. The future of musical theatre is certainly in safe hands.
The Sound of Music is a nostalgic package tied up with string, and this Stage Experience production was certainly one of my favourite things.
TICKETS FOR THIS PRODUCTION ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE
*Why is this post marked AD? I was invited to attend Press Night in exchange for an honest review. You can trust that I will always be honest and truthful on A Brummie Home and Abroad, and being an invited guest will not influence my opinion in any way.
