Hurst brings The Sound of Music to Life

 

Director Vincent J. Donahue’s inspiration for The Sound of Music was a 1956 German film, ‘Die Trapp-Familie’. This told the von Trapp’s story from 1926, when Maria joined the family as tutor for one of the children (confusingly for us, also named Maria), until 1938 when - appalled by the ‘unification’ of their homeland with Nazi Germany - they escaped from Austria to make a new life in the United States.

With the help of two legendary Broadway producers, Donahue’s project quickly evolved into the great ‘Rodgers and Hammerstein’ musical. The result premiered on Broadway exactly 50 years ago, starring Mary Martin (the mother of Larry Hagman who famously played J R Ewing in Dallas) as Maria. It was breathtakingly successful. The production hit the West End two years later in 1961 and the story’s immortality was assured when the film, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, was released in 1965.

En route, of course, much of the original story had been changed but fundamental truths remain; Maria did marry the Baron, the family were talented musicians who regularly performed in public and it was the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany that led them to flee the country.

That, as they say, is history. The challenge today is that any production of ‘the world’s best loved musical’ will inevitably be compared with its forebears. With their recent and very successful productions of Les Misérables and Godspell, however, Hurst’s Director of Drama Nicholas Beeby and Director of Music Neil Matthews have shown that they are more than equal to the task of bringing out the very best from Hurst's talented youngsters.

Those who have been fortunate enough to see the production this week will know that the extraordinary dedication and commitment of cast and crew has paid off in spades. Their reward has been to feel the excitement and hear the appreciation of their audiences. Their retelling of the story of Maria’s personal journey from a life in the Abbey to the secular world; from the solitude and security of the cloisters to the ups and downs of family life and the risks of living in a country facing war has, rightly, provoked nothing but admiration and praise.