The Sound Of Music

Congress Theatre, Carlisle Road, Eastbourne, Monday, July 13, to Saturday, July 18

“LIKE a military manoeuvre” is how director Martin Connor describes putting together his new touring version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic The Sound Of Music.

And with a cast of 18 principal actors, augmented by three teams of six children playing the young Von Trapps, it’s not hard to see why it would certainly be a challenge.

“The advantage of this is it is a classic,” says Connor. “It’s beautiful in the way it is crafted. You can’t get better than Rodgers and Hammerstein.”

Heading up the cast is Over The Rainbow winner Danielle Hope, playing Maria Rainer, the novice nun sent out of the convent to look after Captain Von Trapp’s army of unruly children.

As the much-screened film classic details, her method of keeping them under control is through song, turning them into the phenomenally successful Von Trapp Family Singers.

But at the same time she finds herself drawn to their father, charismatic former submarine captain, played by Stephen Houghton, a man under intense pressure from the Nazi regime which is in the process of taking over Austria.

The family’s true story was told my Maria Von Trapp in her autobiography, although the musical does take a few liberties with the truth.

“The Von Trapps were married in 1927, long before the start of the troubles,” says Connor.

“All the events in the musical which are at the end of the film did happen, but they were over a longer time span.

“It was a ghastly time for the family – they lost all their money in the early 1930s when there was the big crash. They had to dismiss their servants and take in lodgers.

“The fact the family was musical is absolutely true – although they were musical before Maria Rainer joined them. She was the one who had the idea of creating a professional singing troupe to make money - which was initially resisted by the Captain.”

It was the Captain’s refusal to allow the family to perform for Hitler, or to take on the offer of a naval commission with the Nazis, that led the family to make their escape from what would soon be a very changed Austria.

It creates the darker second half of the musical – an element sometimes forgotten when people remember the songs about a drop of golden sun or bright copper kettles.

Connor says Hope was in the picture for Maria before he was on board.

“She is absolutely right for Maria,” he says. “She has made the role her own, but at the same time has kept an eye on how it has been interpreted before.”

The youngsters in her charge were recruited through open auditions from both stage and state schools. All three groups are touring with the production.

“They are named after the Favourite Things song: Packages, Doorbells and Kettles,” says Connor. “It’s not team A, B and C, or first, second or third – they are all equal in skill. The cast is almost like a family.”

Connor is proud the production has stuck very much to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original stage vision – keeping two songs by Max and Baroness Elsa Schraeder which were excised from the film.

“The agents for the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate have said this is the most faithful production they have seen for a long time,” says Connor.

“Those chaps knew what they were doing – they knew how to construct a musical. Inevitably the staging and lighting is modern - this isn’t a museum piece - but we haven’t altered the script.”

The only addition, with the estate’s blessing, is the song Something Good, which was originally penned for the film but was never in the stage version. All the music has been reorchestrated by Bill Kenwright’s long-time musical collaborator David Steadman.

And working with long-time collaborator, choreographer Bill Deamer, Connor has extended the dance sequence in Rolf and Liesl’s duet Sixteen Going On Seventeen.

“It’s a version which has probably not been seen on stage before,” he says. “Dance has become much more fashionable now – and Bill has a fantastic sense of that period.”

Sticking to the original production has clearly worked – with the current touring show getting standing ovations on more than 80 per cent of its performances.

“Every single performance there are some people standing,” says Connor. “That’s pretty rare.

“I’m proud of the production – it has been approached with integrity from all aspects and angles - the cast, the set, the lighting and the music.”

Starts 7.30pm, 2.30pm matinees Thurs and Sat, tickets from £18.50. Call 01323 412000.