The Sound of Music - further cast changes
Feature by Lizzie Guilfoyle
FURTHER cast changes have been announced for The Sound of Music which is currently booking until March 29, 2008, at the London Palladium.
Joining Simon Burke on September 24, 2007, will be Fiona Sinnott (Sunset Boulevard, Guys and Dolls, Aspects of Love, Les Miserables) as the Baroness; and Paul Grunert (Acorn Antiques, Anything Goes, Me and My Girl) as Max.
And making their West End debuts as Liesl and Rolf will be Amy Lennox and Luke Fredericks.
Meanwhile, Connie Fisher will continue in the role of Maria for six performances a week, with Aoife Mulholland performing the other two (on Monday evenings and at Wednesday matinees). Margaret Preece will also continue in her role as Mother Abbess.
Previously Posted: On September 24, 2007, Australian-born actor Simon Burke will take over the role of Captain Von Trapp from Alexander Hanson in The Sound of Music, which is currently booking until March 29, 2008, at the London Palladium.
In Australia, Burke has performed extensively with the Nimrod and Sydney Theatre Companys. His musical credits include Les Miserables (as Marius in the original Australian cast); Anything Goes (as Bill Crocker) for which he received the 1990 Green Room Award for Best Actor in a Musical; The Phantom of the Opera (as Raoul) in Sydney; Cabaret (as Clifford) at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield; and A Little Night Music (as Carl-Magnus) at the National.
In The Sound of Music, Burke will be joining How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?‘s Connie Fisher who plays Maria in six performances a week; and Aoife Mulholland, another contestant in the BBC reality show, who performs the role on Monday evenings and at Wednesday matinees.
The current cast also includes Margaret Preece (Mother Abbess), Lauren Ward (the Baroness), Ian Gelder (Max), Sophie Bould (Liesl) and Neil McDermott (Rolf).
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music premiered on Broadway in 1959 and went on to win six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was first seen in London in 1961 and last revived in the capital in 1981. In 1965, the film adaptation starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (for Robert Wise).
The current production is directed by Jeremy Sams and designed by Robert Jones, with choreography by Arlene Phillips, sound by Mick Potter, lighting by Mark Henderson and musical supervision by Simon Lee. It’s presented by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian, the Really Useful Group and Live Nation.