The Sound of Music - Opens To Rave Reviews in Wellington

OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS IN WELLINGTON

Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises present Andrew Lloyd Webber,
David Ian and the Really Useful Group’s London Palladium Production of
THE SOUND OF MUSIC

The lavish and much-anticipated London production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC has opened at Wellington’s St James Theatre to rave reviews.

“This production is theatre of the absolute highest quality. To call it lavish is an understatement – the sets are amazing! Leslie Garrett as Mother Abbess brings the house down.” The Breeze

“Of all the musicals in town this year, this is the one to see,” says the Dominion Post. “... the amazing sets, lighting, costumes and brilliant orchestra all add to this rare gem.”

“This production of The Sound of Music gets to the heart of a well-wrought story,” Theatreview

“Truly an excellent production," Radio NZ

Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian’s production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC will continue to thrill Wellington audiences until 28 September when it must close to move to Auckland, opening on 3 October at The Civic theatre.

This acclaimed production of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein musical premiered at the home of West End musical theatre – the London Palladium – where it celebrated a record-breaking 954 performances and was seen by well over 2 million people, before going on to enjoy sell-out performances internationally.

Receiving particular praise for her stellar performance as Mother Abbess is international opera star LESLEY GARRETT. Britain’s most popular soprano, Lesley Garrett CBE has performed in operas or in concert around the world, from Russia with the Bolshoi Opera to Japan, and from the USA to Europe. She has hosted and headlined at the Classical BRIT Awards at the Royal Albert Hall and has been a regular guest artist for the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms and Proms in the Park.

“Lesley Garrett is superb as The Mother Abbess. As well as a being great actor her singing is sublime - rarely has a first act ended so spectacularly at the St James Theatre
as it does with Garrett's Climb Ev'ry Mountain.” says the Dominion Post

Critics have also applauded Bethany Dickson in the pivotal role of fun-loving singing nun Maria Rainer who is sent to become the governess of Captain von Trapp’s seven children and not only falls in love them but him too. Bethany has just completed box office smashing seasons of THE SOUND OF MUSIC in South Africa and Singapore. She was last in New Zealand playing the lead role Sandy in the box office smash-hit Grease. Her stage credits also include Carousel, High School Musical and Sunset Boulevard.

“Bethany Dickson ticks all the boxes with her Maria Rainer, matching innocence, vulnerability and fear of becoming an adult with inner strength and integrity. And her voice is sublime,” Theatreview

Six of the seven von Trapp children have been cast in New Zealand. A group of 18 talented young actors rotate the roles.
“The children are a delight,” says the Manawatu Standard, while Theatreview says the roles of the children are “played with beautifully balanced precision and relish.”

International cast working with the Kiwi kids say they are among the best in the world.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC features an unforgettable score that includes some of the most famous songs ever performed on the musical stage including “My Favorite Things”, “Edelweiss”, “Do-Re-Mi”, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”, “The Lonely Goatherd”, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”, and the title song “The Sound of Music”.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC tells the uplifting true story of Maria, the fun-loving governess who changes the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by re-introducing them to music, culminating in the family’s escape across the mountains from Austria.

The musical originally premiered on Broadway in 1959 to record-breaking advance ticket sales, where it won eight Tony Awards - including “Best Musical”. The show opened in London in 1961 and became the longest-running American musical of its generation. The 1965 Hollywood film, which starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, won five Oscars, including “Best Picture”, and quickly became the highest-grossing film in history. Even today, THE SOUND OF MUSIC remains the most successful movie musical in history.

Since the turn of the 21st century, the enduring magic of THE SOUND OF MUSIC has lead to major productions around the world, giving testament to its title as “The World’s Most Popular Musical”. For the London Palladium production, Andrew Lloyd Webber cast the role of Maria following a hugely popular 2006 BBC reality television show calledHow do You Solve a Problem like Maria?, which made its winner Connie Fisher into a star.

SEASON DETAILS
WELLINGTON –
VENUE: St James Theatre
Season: Now until 28 September
BOOKINGS 0800 TICKETEK (0800 842 538) or ticketek.co.nz
Groups 10+ SAVE! Call Group Bookings on 04 384 3842

AUCKLAND –
VENUE The Civic
SEASON From Friday 3 October to Sunday, 26 October
BOOKINGS 09 970 9700 or ticketmaster.co.nz
Groups 10+ SAVE! Call Group Bookings on 09 970 9745

www.soundofmusic.co.nz

Music by RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
Book by HOWARD LINDSAY and RUSSEL CROUSE
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp

THE SOUND OF MUSIC is produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Company and David Ian Productions, and is presented in New Zealand by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises.

ABOUT LUNCHBOX THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS
Headed by James Cundall, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions is one of Australasia’s leading producers of live entertainment, and over the last two decades has created a reputation for bringing top quality international productions to audiences across five continents.

Since 1992, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions has produced a wide array of live entertainment internationally and has brought spectacular theatre shows to New Zealand including Annie, We Will Rock You, Stomp, Potted Potter, Rick Stein, Slava’s Snowshow, Riverdance, Grease, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Bootleg Beatles, and The Imperial Ice Stars productions of The Sleeping Beauty on Ice, Swan Lake on Ice , Cinderella on Ice and The Nutcracker on Ice to name just a few.

Lunchbox Theatrical Productions is based in the UK with companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, The Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. www.lunchbox-productions.com

ABOUT DAVID ATKINS ENTERPRISES

David Atkins Enterprises (DAE) is one of the world’s leading Event and Production Companies. Based in Sydney and headed by David Atkins OAM, DAE has been producing international ceremonies, musicals, arena events and live productions all over the world for over 25 years. As well as co-producing a number of theatre shows and musicals with Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, DAE created and produced the Opening Ceremony of the Rugby World Cup in Auckland in 2011, the Outdoor Opening Ceremony of World Expo 2010 in Shanghai China, the Opening, Closing and Victory Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

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