Without the big bucks of a Hollywood financier or the resources thrown at West End or Broadway shows, this production relied heavily on the actors and singers to deliver some pretty sterling performances of much loved songs that many of the gathered crowd were doubtless very familiar with. An even tougher ask was for them to impress a young audience, perhaps not yet indoctrinated into the cult of The Sound of Music. The principal actors, family von Trap children and the entire chorus carried off the task with gusto and great success, gathering some new recruits to the fan base and pleasing the old guard in the process.
Whoever decided to be so inclusive in giving space and time on stage to as many members of the Oxford Operatic Society ensemble as possible, pulled off a very clever and effective move. The film version might have veered into the surreal if it had all of a sudden included extras playing the part of marionettes in the Lonely Goatherd yodelling song, but in this production it worked brilliantly. The times when the stage was filled with people and their combined, very harmonious, powerful vocal talents, were for me the most impressive and enjoyable.Maria and the Von Trapp family children are usually the show stealers, but some of the loudest rounds of applause in the New Theatre came when the chorus of nuns had finished belting out a tune. The opening scenes, set in the Abbey, are given over to a rendition of a traditional hymn, Alleluia, and then the very memorable ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria’. Combining the voices of some fifteen members of the company, these performances set the standard of singing to come. Luckily for us, the singing Sisters were given plenty of opportunities throughout to treat us to some of the most amusing, moving and spine tingling moments of the show.
Whist I’m bigging up the nuns, I should give a mention to Katie Bedborough, who plays the character of the Mother Abbess. This role doesn’t linger in my mind particularly from the film, but here she made quite an impression, in the most part due to the sheer power of her voice, and the emotion she brought to the role. I think for many of the children in the audience, it might have been the first time they will have heard singing of a truly operatic quality and I feel sure she will have made a few fans.The solos, duets and of course the iconic family Von Trapp performances all showcased the impressive vocal skills of Oxford’s local talent. Not least Catherine Blagrove, playing Maria, who truly looked the part and delivered song after song with a level of professionalism that might be expected of a West End actress.
And we mustn’t forget to discuss the ‘aah’ factor. Yes – five year old Gretl did have perfect pigtails and looked adorable in her little pinafore dress, and did sing her ‘So long, farewell’ good night lines with the requisite level of cuteness. Tick!
As that little girl said ‘That was really great’.