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The Sound of Music
Presented by:
Nova Music Theatre
Venue:
The Whitehorse Centre, Nunawading
Reviewer:Anne
Dewar
Date
Reviewed:
Friday 8th May
2009
The
Hills are alive with The Sound Of Music, well the Whitehorse Centre
in Nunawading is anyway!
Beautiful singing, delightful children, a gorgeous leading lady,
wonderful costumes and beautiful backdrops made for an enjoyable
production presented by Nova Music Theatre.
Firstly I would like to thank and congratulate Director Noel Browne
for not giving us a sugary sweet version of the evergreen Rodgers
and Hammerstein Musical “The Sound of Music” as so often happens. He
captured the drama of an Austria under threat from Nazi Germany yet
the innocence of the children still shone through, they were so
natural and not stagey which was just lovely.
Alexandra Clover Starred in the role of Maria, she was like a breath
of fresh air, has a beautiful voice, her acting was also very
natural, she commanded the stage and you just couldn’t take your
eyes of her. Her rapport with the children was a delight to watch.
Warren Davies as Captain Von Trapp gave just the right amount of
sternness with the children at the beginning and then his transition
to gentleness when he falls in love with Maria was very heartwarming
and well done. Warren has a great voice and played the captain with
ease.
The
children in this performance were played by Dean Schultz –
Friederich, Tayla Currie – Louisa, Jack Crough – Kurt, Hayley
Wootten - Brigitta, Imogen Spendlove – Marta and cute little Morgan
Crough – Gretl. They all sang and acted well and 11 year old Hayley
Wootten as Brigitta was particularly impressive, her character and
accent were consistent and she delivered her lines with such
confidence. Well done Hayley!
Some of the kids did have a little trouble with accent though and
sometimes sounded a bit too Australian but it didn’t detract from
their delightful performances and their delivery was very good and
they each maintained their different personalities.
The
Choreography was age appropriate and simple and Di Crough did a nice
job on the children’s songs and adult numbers as well.
Benjamin Stokes did a fine portrayal of Rolf, he has a lovely voice
and his acting was smooth with a great accent. He paired well with
young Georgia Wilkinson in the role of Liesl who by the way also had
a great rapport with the rest of the children. Her voice was sweet,
she suited the role and “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” was charming.
The
Mother Abbess was played by Amanda Stevenson and she looked very
comfortable with the role and delivered one of the highlights of the
show when she sang “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and received thunderous
applause by the appreciative audience.
In
fact the Nuns chorus was also enthusiastically received and they
sang so beautifully.
Max
the lovable Uncle of the children was played with aplomb by Philip
Hartley.
Philip gave a really entertaining performance and has great comic
timing.
Angeline Thompson as the Baroness Elsa Schraeder stood out and
looked very pretty and elegant and carried off this difficult role
with style and grace. Her accent was spot on and she acted the role
perfectly with just the right touch of class.
Another notable performance was that of Matt Jakowenko as Herr
Zeller the Nazi. Matt had a great German accent and stage presence
and was very convincing as the evil Zeller, his timing impeccable.
I
really liked the way that Director Noel Browne chose to break the
fourth wall with the audience in the scene where Maria, the Captain
and children were singing at the Festival and planning their escape.
The
presence of Zeller and the soldiers in Nazi uniform in the audience
certainly made you feel as if you were part of the action and
created a slightly uneasy, tense atmosphere which really set up the
scene.
Musically the orchestra really set the mood also and Musical
Director John Clancy did a commendable job all evening with his
orchestra complementing the performer’s voices.
Stephanie Lumb’s costumes were colorful and beautifully designed,
the children looked immaculate which added to the overall picture.
Stephanie’s attention to detail was particularly noticeable.
Congratulations!
The
Sets were designed by Di Pope and were colourful, bright and
effective and the Swiss Alps backdrop was really breathtaking.
Lighting designed by Jason Bovaird complemented the scenery
beautifully and set the mood for the appropriate scenes.
Audio was designed by Steve Hobbins and was good and even and
everyone could be heard clearly.
Being opening night and taking into account first night nerves the
production ran incredibly smoothly.
The
fact is that with still seven performances left, I do believe NOVA
have sold out every performance and that speaks for itself!
You
can check “What’s On” for booking details but I don’t like your
chances of getting a ticket to see Nova’s The Sound Of Music,
everyone wants to see this old favourite.
Anne Dewar is well known in Musical Theatre circles; and has over 30
years experience in both professional and non – professional
Theatre, Pantomime and Television appearing in commercials and mini
series and on Rove Live in Comedy Sketches. Anne has played many
roles in Musical Theatre. Her favourites include Dolly Levi in
“Hello Dolly” and Miss Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” receiving a
Music Theatre Guild nomination for best actress. She has worked with
many theatre groups including Whitehorse, CLOC, Dandenong, Festival
Theatre, Nova, Phoenix and Eastern Musical Theatre. Anne has also
designed sets for many shows and directed and choreographed
productions at the Karrilyka Theatre, the latest being the
successful Australasian Premiere of the comedy play M*A*S*H in 2008.
Anne recently played the role of Vicki Nichols in Phoenix Theatre
Co’s “The Full Monty”, receiving a Lyrebird Nomination for her
efforts. She is looking forward to her next project which is
directing the “Kids on Broadway” concert for Phoenix in May this
year.
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