Any average girl or boy would, at a very early age, be acquainted with The Sound of Music as one of the greatest, or the greatest musical of all time. The result is that the immortal music of the Von Trapp family is something that everyone is almost familiar with, where we even learn to sing the same way seven Austrian children did – singing “Do-Re-Mi.”
Considering the simplicity associated with the song, it was both a surprising and entertaining experience to watch the Workshop Players practise hard at perfecting it. It was not simply the melody though; these singers were singing in six part harmony – definitely not an easy thing to do.
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| The man of many tunes: Musical director – Surein de S. Wijeyeratne |
“That is just something you notice about musicals like The Sound of Music,” comments Surein de S. Wijeyratne – musical director of the Workshop Players. “There are many seemingly simple songs that you take for granted, but what happens when you get down to singing these songs, is that you realise that there is far more to them than meets the eye.”
Practising since June, the Workshop Players have worked hard, under the direction of Jerome Silva and musical direction of Surein de S. Wijeyeratne, and eagerly anticipate presenting The Sound of Music from October 17 – 28 at the Lionel Wendt.
“One of our goals was to bring about a revival of the older musicals, and The Sound of Music was one such musical,” stated Surein. “We began this knowing what the challenges were, but facing up to those challenges and overcoming them is what makes this whole experience special.”
One of the challenges lies in the fact that Sound of Music is so well known and loved. “What is inevitable,” says Surein, “is that people will come to watch the drama with expectations of us performing our version of the movie, and these are very hard expectations to live up to. It has to be noted though that what we are staging is our version of the Broadway musical.”
The result, as the Workshop Players promise, is a far sight different from the movie. In fact, all the performers have been advised not to watch the movie in the weeks prior to the show, because the influence of the movie could inhibit them from putting on an original performance and interpreting characters in their own way.
“Direction is challenging in that it is also difficult to discipline children,” explains Surein, “but then there is always something that we learn from them eventually. One good thing is that they pick up really fast, and they are also very positive, keen and enthusiastic. The enthusiasm goes to the extent of kids foregoing their holidays in order to be able to make it for practises. They give everything else second priority.”
Watching the Workshop Players hard at practice, the excitement and enthusiasm was tangible, and the enjoyment was obvious. The rehearsal room of the Punchi Theatre was abuzz with activity as groups sang, and couples playing Maria and Captain Von Trapp practiced dancing the Landler.
Tickets for the show priced at Rs. 1000/-, 750/-, 500/- and 250/- will be available at the Lionel Wendt from October 6 onwards. Yes FM and MTV are the electronic media sponsors for the event, while The Sunday Times will be the print media sponsor.
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