Maria sings to the Von Trapp Children. PHOTO: MYRA IQBAL/ EXPRESS
Young Shameen Tariq played Maria — the female lead in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and the woman on whose life the play is based — a nun whose love for singing and dancing troubles the sisters at the abbey, who in turn send her off to the humourless Vonn Trap family to take on a the role of governess to the seven children of a widowed captain. The petite Maria, with an almost textbook British accent, exhibited striking similarity to her character — made famous by Julie Andrews in the Academy Award winning 1965 film version of the play — as she delivered dialogues with a candour that touched the audience and transported its imagination much beyond the parish.
The Von Trapp children, played by a range of young LGS students, the most precious of which is the spirited Gretel, reside under the discipline of their austere father, Captain Von Trapp, and welcome their new governess with the belief that she too will depart much like all their previous caretakers. However, when Maria exposes the children to song and dance and embracing their childishness, they fall in love with her, as does the stern Captain, though he shows resistance to her seemingly frivolous ways. It is when the captain, played by a poised Amir Sabir, brings in the beautiful Baroness (Zoya Nazir) and her boisterous brother Max (Farhad Khan) with the intent of marriage, that Maria finally comes to terms with her own feelings.
The Baroness and her brother Max listen to the Von Trap Children sing. PHOTO: MYRA IQBAL/ EXPRESS
A particularly poignant scene is where the Baroness, in realizing that the Captain’s love sways elsewhere, admits that their relationship is much too brittle to turn into marriage and takes leaves with a heavy heart. The scene reveals an unforeseen softness in her character that the audience is previously forced to dislike as Maria’s competition.
The forgetful characters of the sister’s Berthe (Ana Pasha) and Bernice (Neesa Tariq) lent mirth to the scenes, often discussing Maria in her absence, giving the rest of the actors enough time to get ready for the next scene without being missed. The chemistry between almost all characters, in particular between the Captain and Maria in the scene where they waltz together, was bona fide and most certainly a sweet surprise.
The set — simple, but enough to rouse one’s imagination — was designed by Werda Nadeem, who also plays Maria’s ailing mother. Scenes outside the Von Trapp mansion were fashioned with a simple projected image, while the setting of the captain’s house itself consisting of sparse furniture, but enough to suggest the grandeur of the location.
Maria meets the stern Captain Von Trapp for the first time. PHOTO: MYRA IQBAL/ EXPRESS
Though it was a musical, tracks like “Sixteen going on seventeen” where Liesl, the oldest of the Von Trapp siblings is serenaded by her young uniformed love Rolfe and “The Sound of Music”, which the children sing for their visitor, the Baroness, were lip-synced.
Maria, however, owned the stage with her vocals, singing, “My favourite things,” among other popular tunes from the original musical. While hesitant and sometimes off-key, Tariq’s voice was sweet, and her delivery heartfelt. The Sound Of Music was undoubtedly a breath of fresh air, introducing strong young talent and relaying that arts and culture is well-rooted within the upcoming generation.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2013.
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Everyone did so well but little Gretl was the my favourite! Well done Maham!