Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.
The Sound of Music is a classic Rodgers & Hammerstein masterpiece of musical theatre, and the fantastic cast bring it to life in a wonderful way in this Stage Experience production. Lydia and I went along last night to the press night at The Alexandra, and were blown away at the talent of such a young (& largely ‘unprofessional’) cast, as well as how much they had learned in just two weeks of rehearsals.
Stage Experience is a youth programme run by the team at The Alexandra each year, where young performers aged between 9 – 24 spend two weeks of their summer holiday in intense rehearsals to prepare for three days of performances on The Alexandra stage. They have just 14 days to learn their steps, rehearse together, and work as a large team to put together a full length musical with a huge cast – which is no mean feat.
Based on a true story, The Sound of Music tells the tale of the von Trapp family as music brings them together. A romance set to the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of Austria, this musical is a classic for good reasons. With uplifting music, an adorable family of seven children who squabble and love each other like real siblings, a wannabe nun trying to understand herself, and a few comedic moments thrown in, this adaptation of Maria von Trapp’s memoir is a favourite of many people for many reasons.
Lydia was especially excited to go along to see this musical with me as she learned to sing Do-Re-Mi at primary school and enjoys the other songs too, but had never seen the full musical – either on screen or on stage.
The performers aged 9-24, the 12-strong technical team aged 16-24, and the ATG creative team put on an absolutely outstanding show, and both Lydia and I were extremely impressed with the vocal performances in particular. The sisters of the Abbey, Maria, Captain von Trapp, and the seven siblings were all amazing in their roles – their standard of singing was better than some of the professional shows we have seen in the past, for sure.
It wasn’t just the singing talent that impressed us, either. The large ensemble cast did an amazing job of the fantastic choreography – there was always movement of some kind happening on stage, and they weren’t simple routines to memorise in the short time they had, either. It definitely brought the musical to life in a lovely way.
The Sound of Music was the 19th Stage Experience show, all directed and choreographed by Pollyann Tanner. Her experience bringing together the cast and team to create the show in such a short time really shows, as it was an amazingly polished performance when you consider they were only in a room for the first time together two weeks ago.
The set was great, the huge array of costumes were lovely (I especially enjoyed the classic curtains to play clothes), and the technical team did an almost flawless job on the lighting and sound.
Lydia says: I think that it was spectacular, as the singing was perfect, the choreography was fantastic and they did some incredible acting. It is even more impressive because it was a stage experience and none of them were professional actors. Also, it was a very large cast and a very long show, so everyone must have had to work hard to remember every line, song and dance moves that made the whole performance incredible!
The Sound of Music – Stage Experience is on at the Alexandra until Saturday 17th August, with tickets starting at just over £14. This makes it an affordable option to introduce children to a really great theatre experience, and a fab summer holiday treat – especially if you indulge in the traditional interval ice cream.
You can find out more information and book tickets on the ATG tickets website. It was just wonderful, and gave me a whole new appreciation for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s final musical.
