The Sound of Music revival – in rehearsals

Step inside the rehearsal room for The Sound of Music before performances kick off next month.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic will be the third musical to be staged at the venue in the last four years, following Oklahoma! in 2019 and South Pacific in 2021.

Inspired by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp and with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, the piece is set in 1930s Austria where a nun acts as governess to seven children. It features songs including “Do-Re-Mi”, “Maria”, “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”, “Something Good” and “The Sound of Music”.

Leading the production as Maria (and returning to the venue after her performance as Nellie in South Pacific) is Gina Beck, whose credits also include Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera. Joining her are Edward Harrison (A Christmas Carol, Skellig) as Captain von Trapp and opera singer Janis Kelly (Rufus Wainwright’s Prima Donna) as Mother Abbess.

Returning to Chichester are Ako Mitchell (Caroline, Or Change, The Color Purple) as Max Detweiler, and Emma Williams (Half A Sixpence, Love Story) as Elsa Schraeder.

Alongside them are Elliott Baker-Costello, Wendy Carr, Lauren Chia, Lauren Conroy (as Liesl), Wendy Ferguson, Hana Ichijo, William Ilkley, Rebekah Lowings, Liam Marcellino, Dylan Mason (as Rolf), Julia J Nagle, Minal Patel, Matt Pettifor, Rebecca Ridout, Tony Stansfield, Annabelle Williams and Penelope Woodman.

The roles of the von Trapp children will be shared by Jesamine-Bleu Gibbs, Barnaby Halliwell, Audrey Kattan, Arrabella McDermott, Gabriel Payne, Mia Raggio, Erin Rushidi, Maya Sewrey, Vishal Soni, Dylan Trigger, Felicity Walton and Sasha Watson-Lobo.

Directed by Nottingham Playhouse’s artistic director Adam Penford and designed by Robert Jones, The Sound of Music‘s creative team includes choreographer Lizzi Gee, musical supervisor Gareth Valentine, musical director Matt Samer with original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and orchestral adaptation by Larry Blank and Mark Cumberland. Also involved are lighting designer Johanna Town, sound designer Paul Groothuis, video designer Hayley Egan, casting director Natalie Gallacher CDG for Pippa Ailion Casting and children’s casting director Verity Naughton CDG.

The production will be playing in Chichester’s Festival Theatre from 10 July to 3 September.