The Sound of Music children’s cast announced
18 talented Sydney children aged from 8 – 14 have been chosen from over 1000 hopefuls to play the youngest members of the von Trapp Family in Sydney’s highly anticipated revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical The Sound Of Music, starring Amy Lehpamer and Cameron Daddo.
Producers Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian, John Frost and the Really Useful Group announced the three casts of children who will alternate the six youngest children on Sunday.
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.”
Leisl, the eldest member of the von Trapp family, was announced with the adult cast and will be performed by Stefanie Jones (South Pacific, Once). It is understood that auditions will take place in each tour city to recast local performers to play the youngest members of the von Trapp family.
The lavish London Palladium production of The Sound of Music will commence in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre on 13 December this year, followed by seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne. Joining Amy Lehpamer and Cameron Daddo in the principal adult cast are Marina Prior as Baroness Schraeder, Jacqueline Dark as Mother Abbess, Lorraine Bayly as Frau Schmidt and Playschool’s David James as Max Detweiler.
The original Australian production of The Sound of Music opened at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre in 1961, just two years after its Broadway debut and in the same year as the London production, running for three years with a cast headed by the talented Australian soprano June Bronhill. The 1965 Hollywood film, which starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, and quickly became the highest grossing film in history. Even today The Sound of Music remains the most successful movie musical of all time.
Later Australian productions starred Julie Anthony and Lisa McCune as Maria.
