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Lively sounds
If you are a fan of The Sound of Music, this is a production you must see
By Marisa de Silva

An eager young cast, enough music and dance to keep your toes tapping, a timeless musical loved by all generations, what more can you ask for? The stage is set, as a 60 strong cast get to work.

The Colombo International School (CIS) will present ‘The Hills are Alive’, an adaptation of ‘The Sound of Music’ on October 31 and November 1, at the CIS auditorium. I walked in to the catchy tune of ‘I have confidence in me’ sung by Maria (Romany Arrowsmith) and confidence indeed she had, in abundance. Romany sang and acted the part as though the stage were her second home. And what a voice! One of the sweetest I have heard. Although just 14 she seems to have taken to the stage like a ‘fish to water’.

“It’s been loads of fun but lots of hard work too,” says Romany of the experience. Although she’s acted in school productions before, this is the first time she is cast in a lead role. She adds that it has been a learning experience for her, as she can now act, sing and dance much better than before. “Although I knew everyone in the cast before, I got to know them better over the past few months and made many new friends,” she says.

What I saw as the most outstanding feature of the whole production was the amazing sounds and harmonies that come across from a relatively small group of children. The Von Trapp kids laughed, played and sang in perfect harmony. The kids and Romany manage to capture the essence of the music and transport the audience back to the Austrian hillside.

Captain Von Trapp, (Oscar Gilroy, 16) was up next on the ‘hot seat’, where he shared with me his views on the musical. On what appealed to him most about his character he said, “It’s a very complex one. Especially his transformation from being a stern, rigid military type figure, to a father and husband who learns how to love again.”

Prashalini Peiris, Musical Director, said they had selected this musical in particular, because “nobody ever gets fed up of the ‘Sound of Music’ and it can be enjoyed by those of all ages.” The puppet scene was effectively put together by children from the junior school. They do a superb job of mimicking puppets on strings.

Petunia Joseph, Overall Director of Production says, “Practically the whole school has been involved with this musical in some way or another.” After three months of hard work, the kids have made tremendous progress, she feels.

Another feature of the production is the music accompaniment by young and talented Daniel Johnpillai (15) Assistant Musical Director and student of CIS and Jayanthi Sivapragasam. Their reproduction of the original music score is as near perfect as can be expected. So much so, that I was under the impression that the actors/actresses were singing to tracks, until one of the cast members pointed out the accompanists to me.

Having accompanied ‘South Pacific’ one of the school’s past productions as well, Daniel is not completely new to the stage but, nevertheless, acknowledges what a challenge this is. “We had to put in several hours to get the music to what it is now,” he says. Most of the audience would have watched the original musical arrangement with a full orchestral backing so, it is hard to compete with, he said.

Ben Fitzsim-mons, (Acting Director) believes the cast is by far the most dedicated he has ever seen. Ben acknowledges how difficult it is to dance, sing and keep in character simultaneously and how well the kids carry it off. He points out that no matter how good the costumes, sets, props and special effects are, if the acting is not up to the mark it would all be pointless.

For a spectacular display of dance, music and song, the CIS auditorium is the place to be next weekend. Tickets will be available at the Senior School reception.

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