Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Welcome to the Mountains of Austria at Hanover Theatre’s current National Tour of “The Sound Of Music” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. Based on Maria Von Trapp’s autobiography, ”The Story of the Trapp Family Singers”, this musical takes place in Austria in 1938. It tells the story of Maria Rainer, a free-spirited postulant who is hired by Captain Georg Von Trapp to care for his seven children. Although the Captain is engaged to a wealthy socialite, he and Maria eventually fall in love and marry but their happiness is soon shattered when the Nazis annex Austria and they are forced to escape to America. The original show opened on Broadway on November 16, 1959, starred Mary Martin and ran for 1443 performances becoming the second longest running show of the 1950’s. The highly successful movie starring Julie Andrews opened in 1965 and runs yearly on television. The live version of “The Sound Of Music” starring Carrie Underwood ran on NBC on December 5, 2013 enchanting 44 million viewers of modern day audiences once again. Three time Tony Award winning director, Jack O’Brien casts and directs this version excellently, casting fabulous performers and vocalist in all these well known roles. This emotionally charged 57 year old musical once again captures the hearts of every member of the audience, bringing them to laughter and tears in all the right places. It wins this astounding cast a spontaneous standing ovation at the curtain call.
