Andrew Lloyd Webber/Mirvish Productions – Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music

Paula Citron

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The Sound of Music
Andrew Lloyd Webber/Mirvish Productions
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Jeremy Sams
Starring Elicia MacKenzie, Burke Moses, Noëlla Huet, Blyth Wilson, Keith Dinicol, Megan Nuttall, and Jeff Irving
At the Princess of Wales Theatre until January
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If there was ever a family outing, The Sound of Music is it. The vintage Rodgers and Hammerstein musical may be old-fashioned and sentimental, but it still tugs at the heart strings. More good news is that this production includes all the beloved songs from both the 1959 Broadway score and the 1965 movie.

The spotlight is on Elicia MacKenzie as Maria, chosen by a CBC television vote-in, and she is an absolute charmer who has great chemistry with Burke Moses as an imposing if a bit stiff Capt. von Trapp. MacKenzie’s acting may be a bit too calculating but she’ll grow into the role. Her soprano voice soars.

In fact, what marks this production is the unusually strong cast, mostly culled from Stratford, Shaw and the opera world. The von Trapp children are cute, and the opening and closing mountain scene is a triumph of scenic wizardry.

The Sound of Music continues at the Princess of Wales Theatre until January.

I'm Paula Citron, arts reviewer for THE NEW CLASSICAL 96.3 FM.