London’s ‘Sound Of Music’ faces walk-outs ahead of curtain up
From Katherine Haddon

LONDON—The hills are alive with the sound of walk-outs as British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of “The Sound Of Music” opens in London’s West End theatre district this week.
Two of its leading actors have quit in the run-up to the four-million-pound (six-million-euro, 7.6-million-dollar) extravaganza’s premiere on Wednesday, attracting a blaze of publicity.
But it seems unlikely that the pair’s decision to bid the musical “so long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night”, to quote one of its songs, will harm its chances of box office success.
Millions have been following the show’s progress since Lloyd Webber said he would award the female lead, famously played by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film, to the winner of BBC reality television show “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?”
Connie Fisher, a 23-year-old call centre worker, was plucked from obscurity to take on the role following a vote by viewers.
But eyebrows were raised when it was announced she would share the part with actress Emma Williams.
Williams was apparently also irked by the arrangement — she pulled out in September amid reports she was upset that her role had been downgraded.
As if that was not disruptive enough, the production faced a second withdrawal last week — that of Simon Shepherd, who had been due to play the lead male role of Captain von Trapp.
This development came after two previews and just nine days before the opening night, with the show’s publicists saying his performance was “not working”.
In a recent interview, Shepherd admitted that his only previous experience of singing on stage was in a musical 15 years ago.
“I can carry a tune but everyone else’s singing is brilliant, so they did not need Placido Domingo for my role,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sir Trevor Nunn, the eminent director behind previous Lloyd Webber hits such as “Cats”, pulled out before “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?” even began, labelling it “distasteful”, the BBC reported.
While such turmoil may have left actors and crew feeling slightly bruised, it has, at least, kept the production in the news.
And advance ticket sales indicate that many people are still eager to come and see how Fisher performs in front of a live audience, regardless of the walk-outs.
According to the Daily Mail newspaper, more than six million pounds worth of tickets have already been sold for the musical at London’s Palladium theatre, which has a capacity well in excess of 2,000.
“The Sound Of Music” premiered on Broadway in New York in 1959, when it won six Tony awards, and first opened in London two years later. The film version won five Oscars.
Its last major production in the British capital was in 1981.
Tickets for the current run, which is open-ended, are priced between 25 and 55 pounds.