AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: The Sound Of Music - The Storyhouse, Chester.

Tip Top Productions are Chester's largest amateur theatre company, and their latest offering, showing at Chester's Storyhouse Theatre, is the evergreen and much-loved classic musical, 'The Sound Of Music'.

It was my birthday this evening, and I couldn't have wished for a better way to spend it; this was a professionally directed and produced production in every aspect (except the payment of cast), and thoroughly deserved its standing ovation at the end.

However, sadly, I am unable to credit any of the performers or creatives in this show. There were no programmes at all, and I could find only one piece of paper, sitting on the box office desk, which gave one a QR code in order to access their programme. Not everyone (myself included) owns a smart phone, and not everyone finds it convenient to download, read, and keep that information with them and access it during a performance. - It is VERY bad form to have a mobile phone switched on, to look at it in a theatre! Furthermore, it also means that cast and their families will have no souvenir of their stage performance. I still keep all my programmes from when I was younger, and these are cherished and bring back so many lovely memories. I would love to be able to credit this evening's cast - especially the children - but sadly, that is not possible.

After a rather slow and uninspiring start (the title song was played somewhat slower than normal this evening), this musical turned out to be a complete and utter joy. I truly enjoyed the little touches, mostly comedic, obviously directorial, which had been added to ameliorate scenes or highlight certain personality quirks, and these worked wonderfully. Characterisations from some, were not conventional, and this too was a sheer delight: Elsa Schraeder's dead-pan sarcasm, Max Detweiler's exuberance, strength, and slight campness, Butler Franz's more overt campery, and many of the almost unseen looks that passed between him and housekeeper Frau Schmidt, to name just a few. It also worked wonderfully that a slightly older than usual Captain Von Trapp was cast, this helped him to have authority and suavity in equal measure, and added more credence to being a retired naval captain and having 7 children! I also enjoyed his journey too, from an unwillingly stern master keeping his household in 'ship-shape' condition, to the mellowing on his each entrance after meeting Maria. Very well measured, honestly and sympathetically played.

The entire cast were superb. From a sweet, sincere, and loveable Maria to seven excellent Von Trapp children. (Gretl stole all our hearts!). 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria' quartet was joyous, and 'Climb Every Mountain' soul-stirring. The singing was of a very high standard throughout; harmonies lovely and secure. The band sounded excellent under the MD's direction this evening, and the choreography was always apt and both in character and style. The Laendler was (almost) the perfect Austrian steps. Sound levels were good, lighting worked well, and costumes were excellent and quasi-authentic, but always in period.

The one thing, for this reviewer at least, which let the side down just a little, was the set. The VERY modern stained glass of Nonnberg was not in keeping with the traditional conformism of one of the oldest and non-progressive orders in Austria in the 1930s, and a plain black tab used a few times for front-of-tab scenes during scene changes was insufficient, we needed a little more than that, especially when all other aspects of the set were so detailed. 

Competently, sensitively, and masterfully directed, this was a production of a truly high standard and our drive home was nothing but talk about the show and singing all the songs again!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 2.8.23