WORLD OF ITS OWN

The broadway version of The Sound of Music stays true to the original story while giving it a fresh coat

- POOJA BIRAIA JAISWAL

Maria spinning on the Austrian grass fields, framed against the snow-capped Alps. Captain Von Trapp strumming ‘Edelweiss’ while his gaze strays to the governess. The marionette show of ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ that the Von Trapp children perform for their father and his friends. These iconic scenes from the 1965 film The Sound of Music are seared into the mind of every millennial who grew up on it. It is no easy task to stay true to the original story while giving it a fresh coat and yet, three-time Tony award-winning director, Jack O’Brien, pulls it off in his eponymous Broadway musical, which debuted at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) on May 3 and is on till June 4.

The play—which has won five Tony awards, including for best musical— celebrates its 65th birthday in 2024. Having toured over 100 countries, it has been ranked among the highest grossing shows of all time. The story of the young, spirited governess Maria, and her growing affection for the Von Trapp family, continues to be a timeless cultural touchstone across the world. So, it was almost with a sense of trepidation that I went to experience the play at the NMACC. Would it crumble under the weight of my expectations? As it turned out, I had nothing to fear. It was pure joy to watch it in the sprawling 2,000-seater Grand Theatre, designed in the shape of lotus petals and enhanced reportedly by 8,400 crystals for a multidimensional experience.