The von Trapp family have come singing their way to Liverpool this week and I was lucky enough to see the show on Wednesday (16th September).
‘The Sound of Music’ is centered around Maria Rainer, a young woman who desires to become a nun however when Maria returns late to the Abbey, the Mother Abbess and the other nuns decide to send her to a widowed Navel officer’s house to become a governess to his seven children. There Maria is expected to have some time away from the abbey and to consider whether she is truly ready to be a nun and devote her life fully to her religion.
At first Maria is reluctant to go but she soon develops a strong bond for Captain Georg von Trapp and his seven children. Although at first Maria disapproves of the Captain’s strict military upbringing of his children, she soon tears down the layers of the family and teaches the children how to laugh and be children again through music.
As Maria gets closer to the von Trapp family she soon realises she in in love with the Captain but like any love story, it doesn’t come without complications.
In this stage production, a chirpy Danielle Hope plays Maria. She sings every note perfectly and her performance throughout the show was phenomenal. Hope delivers an uplifting atmosphere to the performance and it is hard not to love her character as we see she is full of good intentions and has a big heart.
Even the younger cast members delivered flawless vocals throughout the show however, each holding their own on stage and capturing the audience. Every one of the von Trapp children offered charisma to the show, as well as adding a big of cuteness to the otherwise semi-serious production.
Jan Hartley as the Mother Abbess stole the show however with her powerful voice and managing to sing ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ perfectly. And she managed to hold a note for what seemed an entirety without her voice breaking once. She sang perfectly and with grace, delivering the best vocals of the day.
The set and costumes were beautiful and everything came to life on stage in this production of ‘The Sound of Music’. I found it to be very realistic and above all else, believable. The actors were all very convincing and performed impeccably and not a single note was missed.
The cast put on an excellent show that was enjoyable from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend everyone to go and watch this stage production.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Paradise Spice 