Summer Lovin'

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you must surely be aware that Summer Strallen from C4's Hollyoaks is taking over as the new Maria von Trapp. In a sort of life imitating-art-imitating-life-chicken-and-egg fiasco, both the character Summer Straw and the actress Summer Strallen end up playing the lead role in the new London production. Whispers along the old grapevine reveal that this was Andrew Lloyd Webber's intention from the outset as Strallen was due to take over from Connie Fisher long before the Hollyoaks plot was even dreamt up. To be honest, I'm a little sceptical about this because, if I were Mr Lloyd Webber, I would want to keep my time 'acting' to an absolute minimum. Even watching him deliver a handful of lines at the BAFTAs reminded me of Noah's great big wooden boat. Whatever the truth, the whole mangled plot line thing made me feel a little queasy, but then Hollyoaks has the power to do that to me anyway.

So, as I filed into the auditorium of the London Palladium with everyone else, I must admit that I was a little unsure of what to expect. And, as the seats around me began to fill and the collective focus shifted from the glamourous Victorian furnishings of the Palladium to the vacant stage, it felt a little like this all could be a great fuss over not much at all. However, let me be the first to say that, within minutes of the show starting, all of my reservations began to evaporate. The elegiac choral flourishings of the nuns sore through the old auditorium and we are transported above the snow capped mountains of eastern Austria. Owing largely to some pretty spectacular stagecraft, we see Summer Strallen dance across the grassy hills supposedly without a solitary care in the world. Of course this isn't technically true. Strallen skips through one of the most famous scenes in movie and theatre history. Not only is she at the centre of this huge media concert, but she steps into the shoes of the legendary Julie Andrews and takes the torch from people's champion Connie Fisher. The cynical eyes of the press (not to mention the thousands of unlucky hopefuls who took part in How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria) must be scrutinising her every move.

Strallen's Maria begins childlike, enthusiastic and a little clumsy. This works brilliantly with the unfolding narrative because, as Maria herself matures into womanhood, so Strallen's natural elegance and vocal grace embolden the character. Apart from Summer's more than adequate voice, her real asset would seem to be her understanding of comedy. It never feels like she is 'playing it for laughs', but her warm sense of humour recognises the fact that the script is often less than serious... what am I talking about, it's quite clearly as camp as David. A few rousing numbers later and we are launched into the interval with Maria's decision to return to the emotional safety of the Abbey. So far, so actually really rather good.

The second half carries on from pretty much where the first ended. As the act progresses though, we see some real tension and (rather surprising) subtleties in the script begin to emerge. The peaceful idyll of the von Trapp estate is beset by the advancing Nazi Party. Old friends, that we first meet in the opulent ballroom scene of the first act, re-emerge as new enemies clad in black and adorned with vibrant Swastika armbands.

One major difference from the film is that we see the climactic final concert as if we were sitting front of house in the Salzburg Opera House. This works really well. Huge banners emblazoned with Swastikas fall from the ceiling and the great crest of Austria spreads across the high ceiling of the Palladium. Lights from the wings even pick out some gilt eagles on the facades of the royal boxes that hitherto had been rather charming relics of the Victorian decor. Now of course they suddenly resemble the sinister symbols of the Third Reich.

Richard Rogers' beautiful score is consistently and elegantly arranged by Simon Lee and the lilting strings of the orchestra build to a huge crescendo as the von Trapp family make good their escape. Full of wit and charm, this new version of The Sound of Music should draw and delight both fans and newcomers alike. The pace is sometimes a little too fast but it is clear that Strallen and the rest of this excellent cast exhibit a sense of class that is sure to outshine scores of it West End competitors.

Published by: Nathan Brooker