The sound of music

Went to see the sound of music last night at New Theatre Cardiff.
This wasn’t one I was excited to be going to see.
Yup, you’ve guessed it, never seen the film. Despite working in Austria and this being on once a day every week I’ve never seen it. The dance in the show last night I remembered from Austria as at the time I thought it was a little like welsh dancing.
Each time I go to the theatre I’m taking much more notice of the surroundings last night I noticed how big the stage actually is. I loved how easily the props were used, with bookshelves and a stain glass window for the Abby, then at the family home the stairs looking like white marble and gold! The doors and windows at the front and back with the mountains in the background.
With not knowing the story of the sound of music from the show last night I’m not sure if I really know the whole story.
It started with Maria played by Lucy O’Byrne in the Abby with Mother Abbess, where we learn that Maria has to go to be Governess for the Von Trapp family. Where she could sing where she wanted and not just in the mountains. When they sang My Favourite Things, I knew I knew the song but I had thought it was from Mary poppins! The theatre teaches me something new each time! Captain Von Trapp played by Neil McDermott, he was in control of his children and his staff using a whistle, everyone would jump to attention. Maria didn’t from the start and we could see the relationship build with the children. It was mentioned that the children had played many pranks on their old governess so they would quit, from the start we could see that Maria had a good relationship with each child. She taught the children to sing and helped Captain Von Trapp to love his children as he would have if their mother was still alive. He was the kind caring loving dad and not the in charge man we first met.
There was a love relationship between the oldest daughter Liesl ( Katie Shearman) and Rolf (Jordan Oliver) was nice to see them sing and dance across the stage to Sixteen Going On Seventeen. Each child who was played by three different actors were brilliant, they were very confident and that was great to see from even the littlest. They each had a part to play throughout and done it very well.
When Maria went back to the Abby after she realised she was falling in love with Captain Von Trapp and Mother Abbess told her love works in different ways and she went back to find that Captain Von Trapp was getting married to Ursula, until Captain Von Trapp set eyes back on Maria.
They married, then every thing changed when the Nazis wanted him. They fled to Switzerland using the mountains. I loved the end when the net was showing the mountains in the background, and the family fleeing up the steps looking like they were in the hills.

I took my mam along to this, she had seen the film so knew what to expect, she was a little disappointed that certain songs were in a different place to the film, but not seeing the film this didn’t stop me from enjoying the performance. For one that I really didn’t fancy as much as others I’m glad I went. Even if it was to learn the song wasn’t from Mary Poppins!
I do think that as there were quite a few children in the audience that maybe the starting time should have been at the earlier time of 7 like other family shows have been in the past as it’s a long show of 2 hours 40 minutes.
Sound of Music is at New Theatre Cardiff Tuesday 13th – Saturday 17th February and you can get tickets here. *
* I was gifted my tickets for a review.