The Sound of Music have announced the 18 children who have been cast in the world’s favourite musical. Three different casts will alternate in the roles of the six youngest children during the Sydney season at the Capital Theatre from December.
Playing Friedrich will be Jack Ingram (14 years old, from Manly), Levi MacKee (14, Elanora Heights) and Jude Paddon-Row (13, Middle Cove). Playing Louisa will be Jessica Balmer (13, Coogee), Savannah Clarke (12, Coogee) and Natalie Theodore (12, Warriewood).
Playing Kurt will be Louis Fontaine (9, North Bondi), Samson Hyland (11, Balgowlah Heights) and Luc Siboulet (13, Little Bay). Playing Brigitta will be Tahlie Gavin (11, Miranda), Madison Russo (11, Killara) and Isabella Taylor (13, Thornleigh).
Playing Marta will be Erica Giles (11, Menai), Takali Hoogendyk (10, Moorebank) and Isabel Young (8, Clontarf), and playing Gretl will be Georgia Campbell (9, Bangor), Nakita Clarke (8, Coogee) and Harriet Turnbull (7, Surry Hills).
“We have assembled an extraordinary cast of young stars to play the von Trapp children,” said the producers. “We had over 1000 children audition earlier this month and we were absolutely blown away by the talent. It’s exciting that Australian audiences will see a production of this quality.”
The Australian production will be led by Amy Lehpamer as Maria Rainer and Cameron Daddo as Captain Georg von Trapp, starring alongside Marina Prior as Baroness Schraeder, Jacqueline Darkas Mother Abbess, Lorraine Bayly as Frau Schmidt and David James as Max Detweiler.
Inspired by the lives of the actual von Trapp family, The Sound of Music tells the uplifting story of Maria, a fun-loving governess who changes the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by re-introducing them to music, culminating in the family’s escape from the Nazis across the mountains from Austria.
It features an unforgettable score that includes some of the most famous songs ever performed on stage, including My Favorite Things, Edelweiss, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd, Climb Ev’ry Mountain and the title song, The Sound of Music.
This acclaimed production of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein musical premiered in 2006 at the home of West End musical theatre, the London Palladium, where it celebrated a record-breaking 954 performances seen by well over 2 million people, before going on to enjoy sell-out seasons internationally.
The Sound of Music will commence in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre on 13 December, followed by seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne. For more information, visit: www.soundofmusictour.com.au for details.
Image: The Sound of Music Children’s Cast with Amy Lehpamer – photo by Brian Geach