TEATRU ASTRA PROUDLY WELCOMES THE ALL TIME FAVOURITE MUSICAL THE SOUND OF MUSIC ON ITS STAGE
The Broadway musical, famously inspired the 1965 film following the success of the Trapp Family Singers through their concerts and tours throughout the United States. Various publishers sought to convince Maria to write her memoirs and the story of the family choir. After much initial hesitation, the story was finally published in 1949.
The touching story of the novice who went on to become a baroness after lovingly taking care of children who had lost their mother tickled the fancy of a German film company who produced two films: “The Trapp Family” (1956) and subsequently “The Trapp Family in America” (1958). In both films, Maria was actively involved in writing the screenplay, and so they portray the Baron and his family’s eventful life quite accurately. Both films were box-offices successes in Germany and Austria, partly due to the famous actors in the leading roles, and partly due to the popularity of ‘fatherland films’ in post-war German speaking countries.
A musical based on Maria’s memoirs opened in Broadway in 1959, moving on to London in 1961, in both cases being once again a hit, also winning five Tony Awards out of nine nominations. Hollywood, at the time being in its golden age, watched closely this success, and wanted to make a film of the musical, also buying the rights to the film from the German producers, yet making significant departures from the original storyline.
For example, there were ten Von Trapp children, as opposed to seven, and Maria was a tutor for one of them, and not a governess for the whole lot. Also, the captain and herself were married for eleven years before the family left Austria due to the Nazi occupation. In the Hollywood blockbuster, the family escapes to Switzerland over the Alps as the Nazis invade Austria, while in reality, they pretended to be going on vacation in Italy by train on the eve of Austria’s border closure. Once they arrived there, they travelled to the U.S.
The iconic Hollywood opening ‘The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music’, also contains a very interesting story that went on behind the scenes. As blissful as it appears, a helicopter was used in order to film Julie Andrews’s joyful singing. However, when the helicopter zoomed in on Andrews, the draft caused by its blades was so strong that it kept knocking Andrews into the mud.
The real Maria also makes a brief appearance in the film, being seen walking past an archway during “I Have Confidence”.
And finally, as a testament to its success, it formed part of a series of recorded programmes to be aired on BBC to be played in loop in case of a nuclear strike during the height of the Cold War.
In case you found all of this interesting, you have a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy a live production of this musical masterpiece at Teatru Astra. Gozo’s idyllic Spring awaits, and Teatru Astra is offering a vast choice of four shows on the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 25th March.
The production is being sponsored by the Ministry for Gozo, the Cultural Heritage Directorate, and MeDirect Bank, and will take place at Teatru Astra on the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 25th March 2023.
Please visit www.showshappening.com for booking.