Let’s start at the very beginning. Drama of any kind played almost no part in the early years of Cranleigh’s 160 year history. And although there have been notable plays and musicals, it was not until 2006 that the tradition of bi-annual Lent Term musicals began. Since then, Les Miserables, Into the Woods and West Side Story, to name a few, have all been performed and it is into that series of shows that The Sound of Music fits. All comparisons end at this point, though, because of the sheer scale and audacity of this year’s production.
For the first time, in a significant statement of intent about Cranleigh’s performing arts credentials and ambition, the school production, in addition to a run of shows in Speech Hall, went up to London, for one memorable, magical night at the New Wimbledon Theatre.
As Director, Emily McGhee put it, “We began nearly a year ago with the decision to take our next musical to a professional theatre. This coincided with the idea to put on our first whole-school production, including Prep pupils. The atmosphere shifted. It was no longer just a school play, it was a professional mission.”
Fast forward to Friday night, and from the opening bars, as the choir of nuns transported the audience back to 1930s Austria with their crystalline, unaccompanied harmonies, it was clear that the cast, crew, musicians and organisers had conjured up ‘Something Good’. The New Wimbledon Theatre holds 1600 people. Each one of the parents, Old Cranleighans and the whole pupil body of Years 7 to 13, were spellbound.
Zoe Mara, as Maria, is nothing short of astonishing. In the musical numbers she delivers every time, with such beauty, that you almost forget that anyone had performed the role before. You fall in love with her instantly, and the moment Maria and Captain von Trapp declare their love for each other is totally authentic – a real credit to both young performers. Alfie Ambrose, is the Captain, lost at sea after bereavement, distant, wounded and falling back on Navy discipline to get by after the death of his wife. The scene where he finally regains the urge to sing with his children is a heart-melting moment, and his rendition of Edelweiss is one of the production’s many showstoppers.
Another is the brilliantly old-fashioned but bang-up-to-date Sixteen Going On Seventeen with Vivi Grove Annesley as Liesl and Charlie Long as Rolf, which is sung and choreographed with a clever mix of charm and flirtatiousness. In fact, Laura French’s expert choreography is outstanding throughout. Bill Gray and Flora Charnock as Max and Elsa not only supply comic relief, but also some realism, especially as they wrestle with their consciences as the Anschluss threatens Austria’s sovereignty and safety. The show’s most breathtaking vocal performance belongs to Bella Strange, closing the first half with Climb Ev’ry Mountain.
The young Cranleigh cast were undeterred by this mountain of a show. The whole-school approach paid dividends, casting the younger members of the von Trapp family from the Prep side of the road, which brought realism to the dynamic, and some genuine tears and laughs. It was unsurprising, with the whole school in attendance, that the biggest laugh of the night came when Maria advises Liesl not to use boarding school as a hiding place for her problems. I suppose finding out that your boyfriend is a fascist would probably do that to you.
The cast were supported by pupils filling the backstage and technical crew and the orchestra pit. Musical Director Andrew Thomas delivered note-perfect performances from his musicians, a mixture of staff, pupils (who had been rehearsing since October) and professionals providing the bedrock for the cast to dance and sing on – a truly remarkable feat.
There can’t be too many musicals as familiar as The Sound of Music. In the 1960s, the Broadway and West End productions swept all before them. For a time, the 1965 cinema version was the highest grossing Hollywood film ever and seemed to be on TV every single Christmas in the 70s and 80s. Everyone knows the songs. Wisely, no real liberties were taken here, allowing the succession of crowd-pleasing musical bangers to weave their magic. The smart touch of restoring My Favourite Things to its original place near the beginning of the show demonstrated a classy nod to the musical’s heritage. Instead, Maria’s rendition of The Lonely Goatherd is used to distract the von Trapp children from the storm. The seven pupils who make up the family are perfectly cast and their chemistry with Maria and their father is sincere and touching.
In her programme notes, Emily McGhee remarks that she sought to “look beyond the ‘chocolate box’ nostalgia” of the show in favour of the “journey of finding one’s voice and standing by one’s principles even when the cost is high.” For a modern audience, this works well. And of course it helps that you’ve got some of Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s finest compositions to help you on that journey. The Sound of Music is, and always will be, a classic story of the triumph of love over adversity. This daring production shows the power of what can be achieved when young people are trusted with huge responsibilities and how well they shine when the spotlight finds them. In the end, it was a shame to have to say So Long, Farewell to them all.
