The Sound of Music to be staged in Xiamen

The Sound of Music (Chinese version), a well-known musical loved by three generations for over half a century, will come to Xiamen Jiageng Theater on September 1st and 2nd. Many people are looking forward to this show since the previous version that starred by Wang Gang and Cheng Fangyuan was very popular.

The Sound of Music is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The original Broadway production opened on November 16, 1959. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, out of nine nominations.

The Chinese version is authorised by the proprietors and presented by the Poly Culture Group Coreproduction Limited.
　　
The original songs have been translated by the highly experienced translator Cheng He, who has participated in the localisation of almost all the Broadway musicals in China.

“The familiar story that is combined with innovative lyrics by Cheng, has a special pleasing quality. I feel moved and warm.” said a fan of the musical.

The director Joseph Graves, well-known in the U.S and a expert in Shakespeare, has worked in theatres in London’s West End, New York and Los Angeles. This production of The Sound of Music achieves a perfect effect thanks to the director’s touch.

The previous version that was released 18 years ago made an indelible impression on audiences. Whether this new version can please the audience is the major question.

Dang Yunwei is cast as Maria, who is lively and a bit out of line. Dang, a highly skilled dancer and singer, gets to show off her talents in the show. “With such a lovely lady standing in front of you, who would care about the fiancee,” a fan said. Fu Zhenhua, whose acting is excellent, is cast as Captain von Trapp.

What’s more, there are seven adorable children, six of whom are girls. “It is difficult to teach children to perform.” said Liang Huan, the director. There are also many children singers who will sing the "Edelweiss" and "Do-Re-Mi".