Austria, 1938. Free-spirited nun Maria is sent away from her abbey to become governess to the widowed Captain von Trapp’s seven children. She brings music and laughter back to his unfeeling household, but the future holds more joy and jeopardy than she ever dreamed possible.
The Sound of Music was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s last and perhaps most treasured musical, and is now produced at Chichester for the first time. The glorious score is a box of delights, from Climb Ev’ry Mountain, My Favorite Things and Edelweiss to Do-Re-Mi and The Sound of Music itself.
Gina Beck, whose performance as Nellie Forbush in 2021’s South Pacific was also acclaimed in London and on a UK tour, returns to play Maria. Making their Chichester debuts are Edward Harrison (A Christmas Carol, Skellig) as Captain von Trapp and opera singer Janis Kelly (Rufus Wainwright’s Prima Donna, many appearances at Glyndebourne/Royal Opera House/ENO) as Mother Abbess. Returning to Chichester are Ako Mitchell (Caroline, Or Change, The Color Purple) as Max Detweiler, and Emma Williams (Half A Sixpence, Love Story) as Elsa Schraeder.
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The Sound of Music, Chichester Festival Theatre (photo by Manuel Harlan) Photo: Manuel Harlan
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The Sound of Music, Chichester Festival Theatre (photo by Manuel Harlan) Photo: Manuel Harlan
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The Sound of Music, Chichester Festival Theatre (photo by Manuel Harlan) Photo: Manuel Harlan
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The Sound of Music, Chichester Festival Theatre (photo by Manuel Harlan) Photo: Manuel Harlan