The hills are alive in Cork as Sound of Music hits the Opera House

A top-class cast brings the tunes of one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most beloved musicals to the city

Sound of Music cast at Cork Opera House. Picture: Shane J Horan.

The Sound of Music, Cork Opera House 

★★★★☆

The Sound of Music opened at Cork Opera House on Saturday night to standing ovations from an audience delighted to see one of the world’s most iconic shows arrive on Leeside.

Leading the cast is Wendy Carr as Maria, the aspiring nun-turned-governess to seven children in a role made famous by Julie Andrews in the film adaptation. Those are tough shoes to fill, but Carr brings a vulnerability to the role that contrasts well with her character’s later resoluteness in the face of impending war.

Her spirited characterisation of Maria is complemented well by Matt Blaker as a steadfast Captain Von Trapp, a man grappling with profound grief following the loss of his wife, before he finds love with the spirited Maria. His integrity as he rails against the Nazi occupation of Austria is clearly displayed, as is the powerful love he feels when it comes to his children and their protection.

The Von Trapp children are a delight in this production, led by Caitlin Anderson as eldest daughter Liesl. Liesl’s teenage angst and nascent love story with Rolf (Andy Lee Armitage) offer moments of vulnerability
between her character and Maria as they both experience the first flushes of romance. 

Toni Broekhuizen from Douglas at the opening night of The Sound of Music in Cork Opera House. Picture: Gerard McCarthy.

Leisl’s six siblings too are a delight, provoking genuine warmth from the audience as they share their hopes and anxieties in song.

Soprano Majella Cullagh has a star turn in the role of Mother Abbess, earning enthusiastic applause for her powerful rendition of Climb Ev’ry Mountain, with many in the audience jumping to their feet at its stirring conclusion. She is a warm, guiding figure for Maria, both confidant and accomplice throughout the show.

Director Davey Kelleher with Eibhlin Gleeson, CEO of the Cork Opera House, at the opening night of The Sound of Music in Cork Opera House. Picture: Gerard McCarthy.

Some of the musical’s lighter moments come via Lizzie Wofford and Ross Scanlon as the captain’s fiancée Elsa Schraeder and the family friend Max Detweiler. Their dual performances offer both an insight into the day-to-day fears and compromises people grappled with as the Nazis rose to power, as well as sharing a camp outlook on life through the humour of their friendship.

Sound of Music cast at Cork Opera House. Picture: Shane J Horan.

Max, in particular, is played with a camp side that perhaps reflects on why he may prefer to go unnoticed by an unfriendly regime, and why he keeps such a close eye on political developments in Berlin. Songs like How Can Love Survive? and No Way to Stop It, both cut from the film adaptation, offer a depth to their characters that many audiences may be unfamiliar with.

Directed by Davey Kelleher, the Cork Opera House production of The Sound of Music is a delight for all ages. The designs provide striking settings for each scene and the ensemble cast works well together, whether it be as nuns in the abbey or as soldiers standing guard as war looms.

This musical theatre event not only brings a beloved soundtrack to a Cork audience but also provides a timely reminder of the power of love and family in the face of division and strife.

• The Sound of Music runs at Cork Opera House until Sunday, August 23, with tickets from €36. See corkoperahouse.ie.