The Sound of Music was a triumph for CLOS (From This is The West Country)

The Sound of Music was a triumph for CLOS

7:00pm Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News

The Sound of Music, with its magical and heart-warming story and songs, was a perfect production for Chard Light Operatic Society to commemorate its 50th anniversary.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is among the favourite musicals of all time and it is easy to see why.

Great characters and memorable songs – all based around the fascinating true story of how the musical Von Trapp family escaped the clutches of Nazi Austria. It is pure entertainment which young and old can enjoy.

The show is packed with memorable songs such as How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria, My Favourite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd, So Long, Farewell, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, Edelweiss and the title song, Sound of Music. It is like a hit parade of West End musical number ones.

Nun Maria Rainer goes to act as governess for widower Captain Georg von Trapp’s seven children.

The Captain is to wed Elsa Schraeder but falls in love with Maria as she nurtures the musical family and they marry.

But the Captain, a proud Austrian, does not want to go when he is given a commission in the German Navy. They hatch a plan to flee Austria and the German authorities by escaping over the Alps following a performance at the Kaltzberg Festival.

Alex McCallum took the lead role as Maria last week at the Guildhall in her first performance for CLOS and she did a fine job.

She created a realistic and loving relationship with the seven von Trapp children and the Captain – and the songs she sang with them were a joy to the ear.

The Captain, played by Ian Crew, was a perfect officer and gentleman, although slightly domineering at first with his whistle-blowing.

But the stars of the show were the children who put in performances beyond their young years – especially tiny tot Jane Smith (who performed in the Thursday and Saturday matinee performances) as Gretl. She bore |an uncanny resemblance to the|child who played the same role in|the famous musical starring Julie Andrews.

The Mother Abbess, Helen Webber, led the nuns from the Nonnberg Abbey. It was an apt part for a founder member of CLOS.

The list of good performances went on from young Tomas Lowe as Rolf Gruber to CLOS regulars such as Neil Wells as Max Detweiler and Marjie Dorling as Else Schraeder.

The production could not be faulted from the acting and singing to the orchestra, lighting and scenery – CLOS did the Sound of Music proud.

Here’s to the next 50 years of musical productions from CLOS!