T H É Â T R E D U C H Â T E L E T
Soirée under SS supervision
Already the big Sinatra knew that «Rodgers and Hammerstein», as he used to call them briefly, were musical heavy weights. All the less it is astonishing that their last common project, «The Sound of Music», premiered on November 16, 1959, on Broadway, became a worldwide success. Almost exactly 50 years later the classical musical celebrates its first performance in France. In a prominent place, with a British-American ensemble, in English language.
The shining mountain panorama which dominates the coulisse massively, reminds on the old times of kitschy, sentimental films. But however the idyllic-blue sky above the Alps invites to dream – it is not sunshine and roses what rules the storyline down in the valley but deep-brown political history. The point is Hitler’s Anschluss of Austria to Germany; the piece deals with honourable dissidents of who both states had not enough to stop the madness and who were just therefore idolised since the post-war years until today. Georg von Trapp is one of them. For the sake of his conviction and family the captain surrenders a lucrative appointment in Hitler’s Cabinet with which the Nazis thought to can appease him and absconds overseas. Really stuff enough for an full-length production. But the musical itself focused another theme – a love story. Of course!
After the death of his wife Georg von Trapp (Rodney Gilfry) is often away on business. Mother Abbesse (Kim Criswell) sends him her obstreperous nun Maria (Sylvia Schwartz) as nanny. It is she who makes a choir of the girls and boys which reaches worldwide popularity in reality. So far it does not get on stage. The big production ends shortly after the escape and takes nevertheless full three hours. The effort is formidable; age-related each one of the seven von Trapp children is casted three times and performs alternately. Down in the very big orchestra pit the big Orchestre Pasdeloup plays particularly marches. And Viennese waltz for the marriage of von Trapp and Maria.
The emotional climax is something different: The quiet, almost unnoticed entry of a dozen SS-uniformed guards into the auditorium. They observe Georg von Trapp who negotiated afore a concert of his family on Hitler’s birthday party in Berlin. But still today they scare a whole theatre on five floors.
It may be surprising that the Châtelet has let fly in its well-known artists extraly. But in regards to their acting and singing performance it gets clear. Rodney Gilfry (baritone, USA), Sylvia Schwartz (soprano, United Kingdom), Kim Criswell (soprano, United Kingdom) and Laurent Alvaro (baritone, France) as Max Detweiler celebrate their main roles. Ovations are the gratification for their extraordinary input.
Résumé: If musical or operetta may be discussed. But not the quality of the performance – it is simply marvellous.
► «La Mélodie du Bonheur» resp. «The Sound of Music» in the season 2009/10 at the Théâtre du Châtelet. With Sylvia Schwartz, Rodney Gilfry, Kim Criswell et al. Staging: Emilio Sagi; choreography: Sarah Miles; music: Kevin Farrell; stage design: Daniel Bianco; costumes: Jesús Ruiz; lights: Caetano Vilela. ► Further reviews at the
review archives
Soirée under SS supervision
Already the big Sinatra knew that «Rodgers and Hammerstein», as he used to call them briefly, were musical heavy weights. All the less it is astonishing that their last common project, «The Sound of Music», premiered on November 16, 1959, on Broadway, became a worldwide success. Almost exactly 50 years later the classical musical celebrates its first performance in France. In a prominent place, with a British-American ensemble, in English language.
The shining mountain panorama which dominates the coulisse massively, reminds on the old times of kitschy, sentimental films. But however the idyllic-blue sky above the Alps invites to dream – it is not sunshine and roses what rules the storyline down in the valley but deep-brown political history. The point is Hitler’s Anschluss of Austria to Germany; the piece deals with honourable dissidents of who both states had not enough to stop the madness and who were just therefore idolised since the post-war years until today. Georg von Trapp is one of them. For the sake of his conviction and family the captain surrenders a lucrative appointment in Hitler’s Cabinet with which the Nazis thought to can appease him and absconds overseas. Really stuff enough for an full-length production. But the musical itself focused another theme – a love story. Of course!
After the death of his wife Georg von Trapp (Rodney Gilfry) is often away on business. Mother Abbesse (Kim Criswell) sends him her obstreperous nun Maria (Sylvia Schwartz) as nanny. It is she who makes a choir of the girls and boys which reaches worldwide popularity in reality. So far it does not get on stage. The big production ends shortly after the escape and takes nevertheless full three hours. The effort is formidable; age-related each one of the seven von Trapp children is casted three times and performs alternately. Down in the very big orchestra pit the big Orchestre Pasdeloup plays particularly marches. And Viennese waltz for the marriage of von Trapp and Maria.
|
||
| The Sound of Music, Paris 2009. |
|
|
It may be surprising that the Châtelet has let fly in its well-known artists extraly. But in regards to their acting and singing performance it gets clear. Rodney Gilfry (baritone, USA), Sylvia Schwartz (soprano, United Kingdom), Kim Criswell (soprano, United Kingdom) and Laurent Alvaro (baritone, France) as Max Detweiler celebrate their main roles. Ovations are the gratification for their extraordinary input.
Résumé: If musical or operetta may be discussed. But not the quality of the performance – it is simply marvellous.
► «La Mélodie du Bonheur» resp. «The Sound of Music» in the season 2009/10 at the Théâtre du Châtelet. With Sylvia Schwartz, Rodney Gilfry, Kim Criswell et al. Staging: Emilio Sagi; choreography: Sarah Miles; music: Kevin Farrell; stage design: Daniel Bianco; costumes: Jesús Ruiz; lights: Caetano Vilela. ► Further reviews at the
review archives
5 
breathtaking | 4 very nice | 3 entertaining | 2 disappointing | 1 bad
breathtaking | 4 very nice | 3 entertaining | 2 disappointing | 1 bad
![[paris-tourist.com] Footer](../images/footer_eng.jpg){kind=small}