Relentless jamboree

Review of
“The Sound of Music”
Tata Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai
26 January 2011.
(An edited version of this review was originally published in the Times of India, Mumbai, on 29 Jan 2011.)

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s final collaboration “The Sound of Music” is one of the world’s best-loved musicals, thanks mainly to the iconic film which made it immortal.

It tells the true story of Baroness Maria Augusta von Trapp, who left the confines of a convent to serve as governess to the seven children of a widowed, autocratic Naval commander whom she ultimately married, bringing back music and joy into the life of this dysfunctional family. After the Nazi annexation of Austria, they escaped to Switzerland, embarking on a concert-career as The Trapp Family Singers.

The play’s heartwarming tale of courage, faith and the healing powers of music and love; and the lilting songs which have become “standards”, are the bedrock of this musical. When presented simply and directly, it can be an extraordinarily moving experience. This production by Raell Padamsee, directed by Advait Hazarat, is not.

The reason is, in a word, excess, overwhelming any real meaning or emotion in a relentless, fatiguing jamboree. It begins in the foyer, where one is greeted by children singing songs from the musical, and continues onstage with a pair who become our “hosts”, introducing the show and its participants; and return at the beginning of Act 2 to give-out prizes from a lucky draw.

We are told, repeatedly, of the many child-welfare organisations whose children have been given this wonderful opportunity to present their talents in a professional production. And indeed they do, appearing in hordes without explanation or dramatic plausibility (the exception being the choir from the Happy Home School for the Blind) in an attempt to augment some of the musical numbers; thereby taking-away focus from the seven Von Trapp children who are actual characters in the play. By contrast, My Favourite Things, choreographed by Karla Singh and featuring just Maria and the seven kids, is truly charming.

In Mr. Hazarat’s staging, characterisations are generally two-dimensional; either hammy or underdone, with actors talking “at” each other and some of their movement seeming aimless or contrived. However, Delna Mody’s Maria is a sincere creation, with a voice that is both strong and sweet; though her phrasing could be more musical. Dalip Tahil’s beautiful singing-voice has aged gracefully; but his Captain von Trapp is perhaps a shade too poker-faced to make the transformation entirely convincing. Among the children, Simran Jehani’s Liesl stands out for sheer confidence and ease; but the boys look too young.

Marianne D’Cruz Aiman is also too young and light-toned for the Mother Abbess, more lyric soprano than Earth-Mother contralto. Even so, her rendition of Climb Ev’ry Mountain is a show-stopper, thanks to prodigious breath-control and secure high notes. She is Vocal Director of the production; and her chorus of nuns make heavenly sounds.

Fali Unwalla’s sets are gorgeous but hampered by the limitations of the Tata Theatre’s stage, which is also a stumbling block for director Hazarat, though he makes imaginative use of the entire auditorium. However, one’s suspension of disbelief is tested to the utmost by some of the ludicrous choices made; not helped by Technical Director Alyque Padamsee’s lurid, multi-coloured lighting and over-use of the fog machine. To say nothing of the bombastic “background music” culled from diverse sources (including Carmina Burana) and used to create tension and terror when called-for, a la Bollywood.

No expense has been spared to “impress” and this makes one wonder what priority drives a production such as this. Is it to present a timeless classic in as extravagant a manner as possible; or engender a feel-good atmosphere at any cost; or, simply, to do charity? But, in the final analysis, it hardly matters because no amount of exorbitance or exuberance can compensate for inability to move an audience with dramatic truth. In this respect, this production of “The Sound of Music” with all its good intentions (and astronomical ticket-prices!) leaves a lot to be desired.