"So Long, Farewell": London's Sound of Music Closes Feb. 21

By Mark Shenton
February 21, 2009

The West End revival of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's The Sound of Music plays its final performance at the London Palladium Feb. 21 after a run of just over two years.

The production opened Nov. 15, 2006, following previews from Nov. 3, under the direction of Jeremy Sams. The cast was originally headed by Connie Fisher (who won the role of Maria von Trapp by public vote in the BBC1 reality series "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?") and Alexander Hanson (who replaced the originally cast Simon Shepherd after just two preview performances) as Captain von Trapp.

The production currently features Summer Strallen and Simon MacCorkindale.

Fisher will return to the show to launch the national tour of the production at Cardiff's Millennium Centre, where it will run July 26-Aug. 29, 2009, before continuing to Bradford's Alhambra and Southampton's Mayflower. Further touring dates are to be announced.

The Sound of Music is also currently running at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, where it opened Oct. 15, 2008 (following previews from Oct. 3), starring newcomer Elicia MacKenzie as Maria, who – as in London – was cast by a reality TV competition held on CBC-TV, and Burke Moses as Capt. Von Trapp.

The Sound of Music will be replaced at the London Palladium by the London premiere of a new musical version of Sister Act, beginning performances May 6 prior to an official opening June 2.

For tickets for The Sound of Music, contact the box office at 0844 412 4655 or visit www.soundofmusiclondon.com.