Seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway musical directed by three-time Tony Award winning Jack O’Brien, The Sound Of Music, marked its debut in India on May 4, 2023. Currently being staged at Mumbai’s recently inaugurated Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), the musical is set to run till June 4, 2023. The 2 hours 45 minutes show with an intermission of 20 minutes has two slots – 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
The timeless story that revolves around the Nonnberg Abbey and the Von Trapp Family has been told in many different forms over the years. It has won hearts as a book penned by Lindsay and Crouse, two German movies and the iconic long-running stage musical. Its most popular screen adaptation is an eponymous film that released in 1965. Directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, it emerged as the highest-grossing film of 1965. By November 1966, The Sound of Music had become the highest-grossing film of all-time, surpassing Gone With The Wind (1939). Interestingly, it held on that feat for the next five years. And with thousands of stage productions across generations and over hundred countries, it’s one of the most popular Broadway musicals. Back home in India, The Sound Of Music inspired Gulzar’s 1972 film, Parichay. But that’s a different story.
When NMACC announced that The Sound Of Music is all set to travel to Mumbai, the intrigue and excitement among the city’s art connoisseurs and ardent theatre lovers was palpable. The fast-filling seats bear a testament to the same. After days of trying my best of finding a spot, I finally managed to find just a single seat on Saturday (May 6) for the show at 2:30 pm. I quickly had it booked and the next thing I know, I was at the extravagant NMACC. I couldn’t help but keep gawking at the art installations in awe.
Apart from the anticipation of finally getting to experience the live spectacle, I had another reason, rather personal, to be thrilled about. At the age of ten, I was up on the stage at the annual fare in my school to perform the play, where I played a nun from the Nonnberg Abbey. Good old days! Anyway, coming back to the point, I still have My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi and So Long Farewell, and particularly Maria, imprinted in the nooks of my memory. Watching Jill-Christine Wiley and Trevor Martin brought back so many moments and needless to say, it was an inspiring experience to be a part of such an iconic and extraordinary moment. By the end of it, I was left completely mesmerised and moved.
For the unversed, The Sound Of Music, a fun-filled family drama, narrates the spirited story of young governess Maria Rainer and the Von Trapp family. It is set in the scenic Austria and traces the life and adventures of Captain Georg Von Trapp, a retired officer of the Austrian Navy, and his children. A series of dramatic events unfold through the length of this musical as Maria introduces the Von Trapp kids to music and their widowed father to the joys of affection, culminating in the group’s flight across the Austrian mountains.
The colourful song sequences, the beautiful performances, the dramatic light work, the scintillating set design and the stunning costumes made The Sound Of Music a complete jamboree and treat. And a large part of the credit goes to NMACC! The 2000-seat Grand Theatre at NMACC is a crimson-themed affair with a balcony and golden opera boxes. It houses a 250-seat studio theatre with a four-storey art house and 125 seat cubicle with a movable stage. It will surely transfer you to the cinematic opera houses that vintage Hollywood treated us to. What a joy it is to finally have one we can call our own! The auditorium was packed to capacity with demographics ranging from ogling children to octogenarians. Listening to them humming and tapping their feet to the celebrated Do-Re-Mi as Maria takes on the role of an avuncular teacher for the Von Trapp children not only transported me to the 1950s but also took me back to some of the best times of my life as a school-going girl. Watching The Sound Of Music, indeed, felt like experiencing an outstanding and large-scale orchestra play out before your eyes. And Jill-Christine! I wish I could pen down another essay on her brilliance, charisma and spark. An artist par excellence, she’s ethereal.
For me, The Sound Of Music wasn’t just a ‘checking off a box from my bucket list’ moment but also a journey down the memory lane. As a lover of visual arts, what brings me immense joy is to have a gift like NMACC almost in the heart of the city to help bring beautiful moments of artistic respite and dramatic pauses in the fast-packed lives of us, Mumbaikars. With India In Fashion, Sangam and The Great Indian Musical: Civilization To Nation, NMACC as a melting pot of artistic potpourri has already set a precedent as far as the cultural roadmap of India goes, but The Sound Of Music has taken that a notch higher by giving Indians a gossamer, glorious and gleeful experience like never.
If regaling in the beauty of the music, dance and drama is your middle name and if larger-than-life operas onscreen have engulfed you with its mysticism, go for The Sound Of Music. You better hurry up because the seats are filling up a little too fast. You can thank me later. Just a quick suggestion here: choose the middle seats in the lower level for the best sound and view. And do stick around till the very end as the entire cast comes frolicking around to bow down and thankful you. This is a grand experience that you cannot miss out on.
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