Auditions for children to take part in one of the highlights of the Bahrain Summer Festival were held in Dubai last weekend much to the amazement of local drama teachers who believe there is more than enough talent in the kingdom to shine in The Sound of Music.
Instead, the company behind the ‘award-winning smash hit production of the world’s best-loved musical’ will be paying youngsters from the UAE to perform as the Von Trapp family children and will cover the cost of their flights, nine nights of accommodation in a four-star hotel and provide them with three-meals-a-day in Bahrain.
Popular Productions cast their net in Dubai for ‘talented boys and girls aged between seven and 14’ saying they required performers who had ‘excellent singing voices and who are confident dancers with good speaking voices and acting ability’.
Victoria Shaban, owner and principal of Bahrain’s Victoria Dance Centre in Saar, said: “There are plenty of children who are more than capable of taking part in this production, so I don’t understand why they are bringing them from Dubai. Bahrain has a lot of talent on offer and I wish they had given our children a chance. They could have got enough talented kids here to fill the cast.”
Her words were echoed by Lydia Martin, director of the Academy of Performing Arts at the British School of Bahrain and Music And Stage for Kids (MASK), a company currently working on a full-scale production of A Circle of Life, adapted from Disney’s acclaimed Lion King musical.
“It’s ridiculous that no auditions are being held in Bahrain,” she said. “We have a huge community of talented singers from different nationalities.
“It just seems like part of a logical process to hold auditions in the country it is going to be performed in.
“Children living in Bahrain were not even given a chance to showcase their abilities yet they are more than capable of performing in this show.”
Popular Productions said logistical and financial reasons were behind the decision not to stage auditions here.
Many people involved in the arts scene in the kingdom welcome the activities being planned for this summer but remain bemused about the decision to ignore local talent for this show. It would have made good box office sense too, they say. If children living in Bahrain were performing, tickets would have been snapped up immediately by family members, neighbours and friends.
Ruqaya Aamer, programme administrator and instructor at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) said: “It is a very positive move for the region and I am thrilled the show is coming to Bahrain. But there is a big expat and local community who would have been so excited about auditioning.
“I would just like to advise the organisers that next time, consider sending a representative out for auditions in Bahrain because they will not be disappointed with what they find.
“I really wish they had got in touch with us because it would have given the local children a chance to get involved.
“In our programme we train actors and they take part in international exams and outside performances.
“They have been exposed to literature from the UK and are familiar with the text and character building; we have some of the best candidates for the show. Also, as it is being staged in Bahrain it would not be as disruptive, not to mention the money the production company could have saved on food and accommodation.”
According to Lucy Magee, producer of Popular Productions Ltd, cost consideration played a big part in the decision to search for talent in the UAE alone.
She said: “We’re not snubbing Bahrain at all, we’re embracing it and actually looking forward to doing more and more work there.
“We’re rehearsing in London and Dubai where we are based so it makes sense financially to cast from Dubai where the children will be available from now for costume fittings with our Dubai-based tailor, rehearsals with our Dubai-based team etc, etc.
“We don’t get to Bahrain until two days before the show opens ... so you see it doesn’t make sense.”
All the other members of the cast will come from London’s West End, says the theatrical producers. The production recently played to record-breaking sell-out audiences in 2011 at the First Group Theatre in Madinat Jumeirah and won the award for the Best Theatrical Production at the Dubai Nightlife Awards 2012.
Suha Matar, communications consultant for the Ministry of Culture, said: “We’re very excited about this year’s line-up for the Bahrain Summer Festival. The Sound of Music is a great family entertainment as a musical that has brought joy to individuals over the world for generations.
“Hopefully their experience in Bahrain will be a memorable one and the production team may choose to hold its auditions here in the future and choose from our wide ranging talent pool.”
She added that interest in the show ‘is already great’ and watching the production on July 10-15 is an ‘opportunity that shouldn’t be missed’.
It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, ‘The Story of the Trapp Family Singers’ and tells the tale of how a woman leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the children of a naval officer widower during the Nazi-era.
Many songs from the musical have become standards, including the title song The Sound of Music, Edelweiss, My Favourite Things, Climb Ev’ry Mountain and Do-Re-Mi.
The original Broadway production, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel opened in 1959 and the show has enjoyed numerous productions and revivals since then.
It was adapted as a 1965 film musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which won five Academy Awards. The Sound of Music was the final musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein; Hammerstein died of cancer nine months after the Broadway premiere.
It will be part of a festive season of entertainment entitled Manama City of Joy aimed at enthralling the young and old alike this summer.
