The Sound of Music at the Melville Theatre Company revisits the famous story of a novice sent to work for a widowed naval captain and his seven children. It is set against the backdrop of the Austrian ‘Anschluss’ during World War II.
Director and musical theatre devotee, Neroli Sweetman has accomplished a grand feat, in wrangling a sizeable cast and crew to bring this ambitious production to fruition.
As might be expected, there are a plethora of singing postulants—read: nuns. The four-hander between Sisters Bertha (Lily Wakeling), Margaretta (Ebony MacFarlane), Sophia (Parish Findlay), and the Mother Abbess is particularly charming. All four of these actors bring genuine nuance to their characters.
Wimples-off to Eilish Marie Blackmore as the Mother Abbess. Though perhaps a tad young for the role, she delivers a soaring rendition of ‘Climb Every Mountain’ that could rival a West End performance.
WAAPA graduate Hannah Charlotte, playing Maria, starts a little nervously but warms to the lead. By the play’s end, her performance is truly endearing—with a touch of the Kate Winslet. And that’s high praise.
The Von Trapp children are utterly delightful from start to finish. Played respectively by Escher Roe, Leon Brand, Aurelia Turley, John Bell, Quin Dally, Halle McDonald, and Jasmine Dally (with doubles Charlotte Theodorsen and Bowie Silvay). As soon as they appeared, the stage-wattage went up, and their renditions of “Do Re Mi’ and ‘So Long Farewell’ had the audience enraptured.
Captain Von Trapp, played by Nigel Goodwin, was suitably stiff in this production, commenting, “I’ve never been called exciting before”. Similarly, Max, played by (Daren Goodison) looked the part playing alongside the lovely Baroness (Erin Sirle). Antagonist, Admiral Von Schrieber ( Kieran Smith) may have been a tad too young in terms of presenting both age and authority, but all looked the pats. The costumes were impeccable and deserve special mention, as does the ensemble cast, who were consistently impressive in both character work and harmonies.
Supporting actors Peter Shaw (Franz the Butler), Imogen Porter (Frau Schmidt), and Zac Porter (Herr Zeller), leaned into their Teutonic accents channelling an entertaining ‘Allo ‘Allo vibe. That being said, the the old stage wisdom – either everyone in the cast does accents, or no one does – might have been more effective.
Rolf (David Bell) and Liesl (Escher Roe) both show promise and it will be interesting to watch where these young performers go, as did newcomer, Michael Smith as Baron Elberfield.
The set design incorporated elements of realism and minimalism, and the wedding and final scenes were visual and musical delights.
This is community theatre, and as such, it deserves support and appreciation. It runs on the goodwill and tireless efforts of so many talented contributors. A standout, special ‘Alleluia’ to Nick Navarra and team for their spirited (and spiritual) musical direction – and the choreography. You’ll likely find yourself humming a tune on the car ride home.
Who among us couldn’t use a bit more ‘Do-Re-Mi’ in our lives?
The Sound Of Music runs to November 30th. To book tickets, please visit https://melvilletheatrecompany.au/
Session Dates/Times:-
Performance Dates:
Evening
November 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30
Matinees
November 17, 24
Times: All evening shows at 7.30pm
Sunday Matinees – November 17, 24 @ 5pm
This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.
