With the dress code of My Favourite Things, Auckland's glitterati and media with their own 'Von Trapp' children in tow, gathered on Saturday night for The Civic's gala opening of the London production of The Sound of Music.
From Edelweiss, to Do-Re-Mi, to the title track, the Rodgers and Hammerstein songs are arguably the most famous and best loved in musical theatre.
The well-known story is set against the backdrop of the Nazis invading Austria, but the plot still resonates with children today, perhaps more so than ever before - seven children in a single-parent family are desperate for attention from their strict and distant working father. When the lively music-mad and wannabe-nun Maria (Bethany Dickson) arrives as governess, the family is transformed by laughter and love. It is ultimately the music that brings the family together, and saves their lives when they escape to Switzerland.
This symbolic thread of the transformative power of music is particularly evident in the scenes in the abbey, led by Mother Abbess, played by the celebrated UK soprano Lesley Garrett, who starred in the role in the London Palladium in 2006. When Garrett sang the stirring Climb Ev'ry Mountain, and reprised it for the final scene as the Von Trapps climbed to a new life over the alps, she moved the mesmerised audience to goosebumps, cheers and a few tears. An absolutely stellar performance.
The Von Trapp children - an all-Kiwi cast including 8-year-old Venice Harris from Bethlehem College as Gretl - were also crowd pleasers. Their group songs with Maria were some of the standout moments - quirky and delightful and without ever descending into the saccharine. Mark Rayment personifies the stern but loving Captain Von Trapp in his moving rendition of Edelweiss, a touching tribute to his invaded homeland.
