Credit: Chronicle.lu
Pirate Productions are putting on a five-performance run of The Sound of Music at the Kinneksbond Cultural Centre in Mamer from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 November 2024.
With Sabine Goedert and Ignacio Gonzalez in the roles of Maria and Captain von Trapp, made famous by Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the 1965 film musical which which won five Academy Awards, it features many songs from the musical which have become widely known, including "How to Solve a Problem like Maria", "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favourite Things", "Edelweiss", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", and the title song "The Sound of Music". The original Broadway production opened in 1959 and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, out of nine nominations.
The music was originally written by Richard Rodgers and the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II (their last collaboration), based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp entitled "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers". It is set in 1938 in Austria on the eve of the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, and tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She grows fond of the children, and eventually of their widowed father who is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children.
The production starts off in the abbey, with Sabine as Maria delivering a superb rendition of the title song, accompanied by the 25-piece live string orchestra conducted by Eric Gherardi (Victor Bonanno is the director), together setting the tone for the entire performance, with the venue's stunning sound system complementing the excellence of the production's soloists and choir. When the convent's Reverend Mother (Christine Leick) talks with Maria, the break into song with "My Favourite Things"; and once Maria is introduced to the seven children - who have never sung before - she teaches them how to sing with the upbeat "Do-Re-Mi".
And Sabine Goedert can certainly sing, and she can yodel too, hitting all the right notes, both high and low, leading the entire production from the front. And Simon Taylor-Kielty puts in a great acting performance as Max, a friend of the family, as does Catriona Gillham as Baroness Elsa, the widowed captain's suitor, both with strong stage voices.
The story unfolds and the songs bring it to life, with the war as the background setting. With the children happy and having connected with the father thanks to Maria, she returns to the abbey, but the Reverend Mother understands that she has romantic feelings for the captain and sends her back to the household which is by now preparing for the captain's wedding to Elsa, in Act II. But then a difference in political ideologies comes between them, opening the door for Maria and the captain to marry. Then the Nazis cross into Austria, leading Maria and the Captain, together with the children, to flee to safety, but not before they perform in a local concert, with Ignacio Gonzalez' leading an excellent baritone rendition of "Edelweiss". The escape was dramatic, with the family hiding in the abbey before making their way across the mountains to the refrain of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain".
Instead of the songs and music providing the "glue" between the various dramatic scenes, it is actually the dialogue that strings the songs together, such is the high quality of the singing and musical backing. And the technical backstage crew have the balance just right between the singing voices and the orchestra's music, meaning no lyrics are drowned out and are all clearly audible.
The production has a main cast of 20 and another 30 in the ensemble (with another 30 in the production team / crew); it includes two separate sets of (five) children participating - the eldest two are there for all performances. And the set design is very functional, with the archways and platform/gangway doubling as the cloisters in the abbey and the indoors of the von Trapp house, enabled by the movable stairs, with backdrop lighting illuminating each setting.
With the director and musical director involved in their first Pirates production, we are seeing the changing of the guard; stalwarts such as Valerie Scott (Producer) and Philip Dutton (Set Design and Construction) are still very much involved, also Dominique Vitali in charge of the choreography, but they must be instrumental in passing their knowledge and experience to the new generation. And haven't they done well!
The two-act production runs for a total of just over three hours, including a fifteen-minute intermission.
All five performances are sold out, with waiting lists all full; in fact, this production has seen the fastest ticket sales in Pirate's history.
By the end of its run on Sunday, this will go down as one of Pirate Productions' very best productions in its 30+ year history, clearly reinforcing the sustainable and growing demand for quality English language stage productions in Luxembourg, buoyed by the new blood and mentored by experienced hands.
For further details, see https://www.pirateproductions.lu/
