EntertainmentTheatre

The Sound of Music at the Mayflower Theatre Southampton Review

SoundOfMusicThe Sound of Music
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

21-31 January 2015

www.mayflower.org.uk

Reviewed by Cheryl Wesley

It was our first trip to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton so we plugged the postcode into the satnav and ventured out to the theatre. We left with plenty of time as we were unsure where we were going, we pulled into the street the theatre is on and there was a massive neon light saying Mayflower so we knew we had found the theatre we ease, there is parking all around and we parked on a side street, £2 after six o’clock for evening charges.

Once inside we collected our tickets and headed down to the bar, the price of food and drink was reasonable and there was even a menu available to pre-order some interval snacks, as we had already eaten we did not order but looking around a few of the theatre goers had and the food looked good for the price.

There was also a couple of themed drinks on the menu, a Vodka Von Trapp cocktail or mocktail titled ‘Problem Solver’, we liked the effort the bar had gone to!!!

With our drinks in hand, we went to find our seats, they were comfortable enough for a long stint!

At 7.30pm the production of The Sound of Music started and it was straight to business with the nuns singing in the abbey followed by Maria singing the sound of music. Any fan of the film will be humming along and tapping their foot! A couple of the songs where performed at different scenes compared to the film, for instance, Maria sings My Favourite Things with the Mother Abbess before she leaves the abbey to become a governess and when the children are scared of the thunder and lightning Maria sings the lonely goatherd to them. The different order of songs did not lessen the enjoyment if anything it made it more interesting. There were a couple of songs that we don’t remember from the film between, Captain von Trapp, Max and Baroness Elsa, we did not enjoy these so much, but that maybe because we love the songs from the film!

The first act was an hour and a half long covering a good chunk of the film, all the way up to Maria running away from her duties as a governess as she was attracted to Captain von Trapp and by the time the break came there was a massive rush for the toilets, the queues were very long and the toilets few, however the break was long enough for everyone to get sorted grab a drink and settle down again.

The second act was about an hour long and a lot of the songs were duplicated from the first half, but that was great as the songs are what makes the show and it did not detract from the story, just enhanced it.

The change of scenes ran smooth and although the cast were bringing on tables and chairs etc… it did not stop the flow or lessen the enjoyment of the performance.

Jan Hartley played Mother Abbess and her rendition of Climb Ev’ry Mountain was magnificent and left the audience in awe of her talent.

Danielle Hope who played Maria did a fantastic job and her performance was on par with Julie Andrews her connection with the children was evident for all to see.

We had a lovely evening out and would recommend the production to all lovers of musicals, especially those with a love of the sound of music.

Rating: 4/5

Tickets cost from £28 to £49.50

The Sound of Music is at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton until 31 January 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 02380 711811.

Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE | 02380 711811

4 Star

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