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The Sound Of Music
Malvern Theatres
**** VIEWERS of TV
talent show The Voice
may remember opera-singing theatre usher Lucy O'Byrne describing her
ambition to be on the stage rather than showing audiences to their
seats. The classically-trained soprano has now been
given the chance to take centre stage in this new Bill Kenwright
production but is it too much of a mountain to climb? This Sound Of Music is a slick production and it
needs to be to live up to the expectations of thousands of fans of the
popular musical. It charts how singing nun Maria brings happiness
and music back into the lives of widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven
children while the threat of the Nazis in Austria grows ever closer. The set recreates the luxurious von Trapp family
home complete with gra I remember watching the
The Sound Of Music
film over and over again as a child and those enamoured with the movie,
like me, should be prepared for a lot of differences. The theatre production still works well and,
importantly, the songs are all there, but the order of how things happen
and the characterisations are not the same.
There's no puppet show, the nuns don't end up
sabotaging the Nazi car, and the Captain's fiancé doesn't have any
rivalry with Maria and leaves because of a disagreement over the Nazis. In fact, the romance of Maria and the Captain is
played down with greater emphasis on the children - who are adorable and
bristling with ability. Playing the dashing captain is former Coronation
Street actor Gray O'Brien. He's strong on the drama but I'm not sure if
he had a frog in his throat or his singing is a bit suspect as his
gravelly tones were a bit shaky at times. Luckily there's O'Byrne to lead the singing
charge across the mountain tops and she doesn't put a note wrong
musically. It's a good job, as the emphasis is on the
singing, which is phenomenal throughout. Despite finishing as
runner-up in Series Four of The Voice
UK as part of Team Will, O'Byrne has a
fantastic tone of voice. She's a good choice for Maria, as in a short
blonde wig she has something of a young Julie Andrews about her. The only cast member
who comes close to her vocally is Mother Abbess (played by Jan Hartley),
who is outstanding, stealing the show with
Climb Every Mountain.
Hartley actually played Maria in the first national tour of the Sound Of
Music several years ago. Overall, this latest production still has the
charm, glamour and songs to keep fans happy. It received a standing
ovation in Malvern as well as proving that young Lucy O'Byrne is "the
voice" to contend with. To 06-02-16. Alison Brinkworth
02-02-16
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staircase. Then there's the mediaeval arches and stained glass windows
at the convent, where the story opens. It seems as though no expense has
been spared.