Are you ready to see the Von Trapp family on stage?
One of the most iconic and celebrated Broadway musicals, The Sound of Music, is heading to Manila this March. And before its official tour, the lead cast of the production met with the Philippine media in a press conference to invite everyone to see the beloved musical on stage.
Happening from March 7 to March 26, 2023 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati, The international tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is brought to the Filipino audience by the Broadway International Group in partnership with GMG Productions.
To the uninitiated, The Sound of Music follows the true story of the joyful and vibrant governess Maria Reiner who changed the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by bringing music back into their lives, and culminating their flight across the Austrian mountains as tensions rise due to an impending World War II.
With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, the musical won five Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Show Album. Some of the most beloved songs from the musical include Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, and The Sound of Music to name a few. Next year, the show is also celebrating its 65th birthday, so now’s the best time to appreciate it on stage!
Q&A with the cast of The Sound of Music
During the recent press conference last January 19, producer Marc Routh and the production’s stars Jill Christine-Wiley (Maria Reiner), Trevor Martin (Captain von Trapp), and Lauren Kidwell (Mother Abbess), shared some of their thoughts about the timeless musical.
“The variety of music from the songs of the children to The Sound of Music to Climb Ev’ry Mountain and Edelweiss, it’s just a great great score,” producer Marc Routh tells the media about what makes The Sound of Music such a successful musical.
“And then on top of that, you have a very accessible story that really is universal and is something that we can all relate to. It’s a story about self-discovery, a story about a really deep romantic love at the heart of it, and also about supporting these children who are growing up in this sort of a harsh environment and giving them love and doing that through the medium of song, which is a such a wonderful methodology, if you will. It’s very theatrical, so I think that’s one of the reasons why it’s such a successful musical. It actually uses the art form of music to basically unlock the story,” the producer adds.
Meanwhile, Jill Christine-Wiley shared her personal experience with the show, revealing that The Sound of Music was the first theater show she’d seen live on stage when she was 5 years old, and after meeting the person who played Maria, and it seemed to have inspired her to pursue the path of a theater performer, and she soon played Marta in her first The Sound of Music casting.
“I feel like I do the show every night for the little 5-year-old Jill sometimes, just for my little Jill heart that is very proud of coming so far and being here today. And looking at the Von Trapp children that we have at our show, and see that reflection of it, I was like I was once where they were and perhaps one day, little Marta or Gretl or whomever, [they’ll] step into Maria’s shoes. It’s very exciting, full circle,” said the actress.
As for Lauren Kidwell, she told the press what she loves most about playing Mother Abbess in the show: “What I love about The Sound of Music more than anything is its juxtaposition of an incredible story and a wonderful, fantastic Rogers and Hammerstein’s score, both of those things combined together. For me, I love singing with Jill, my favorite thing is actually between Mother Abbess and Maria, and so being able to access my own character in a way that I think is surprising to a lot of people who have gone to see our show, and just getting to play and access a fun, child-like enjoyment of music through my own character is something I really really love discovering every night on stage.”
Trevor Martin also shared his insights on the political themes surrounding the story:
“[The Sound of Music] was written 70 years ago about a very specific time and a very specific country, but the themes of the story are accessible through today. The same situations happen over and over again. Not just within the family, dealing with grief and trying to come to some kind of reconciliation within that which happens obviously all the time… But the political climate, the undertone that becomes the main story at the end of the show is something that’s still happening today in many countries. I think that that part of it for me makes it feel fresh and new every single time. Because every time someone gets to watch it, they can replace any of the actors, or any of the stories or country names with many different situations and make it mean something to them, right there at that moment.”
How to watch The Sound of Music in Manila
Catch The Sound of Music at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati from March 7 to 26, 2023. The production runs for approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 20-minute interval between the two acts. Tickets are now on sale via ticketworld.com.ph, with prices ranging from around P1,500 to P6,800.
For more updates and information, visit broadwayasia.com or follow GMG Productions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
