Posted: Tuesday 4th March 2008

The hills certainly were alive with the sound of music last night at the gala performance of The Sound Of Music. How To Solve A Problem Like Maria winner Connie Fisher has hung up her habit and last night unveiled her replacement for the very first time. 23-year old Summer Strallen recently hit the headlines after it was revealed that the actress was planted in Hollyoaks as Summer Shaw with the intention of blurring fiction and reality as she left the soap to play Maria. On screen Hollyoaks viewers saw Summer audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber, bag the lead role and subsequently leave Hollyoaks for the bright lights of London. Summer’s casting isn’t exactly what you’d call conventional but it sure did drum up a lot of interest in the musical. As the crowds packed into the auditorium, along with Summer’s Hollyoaks cast mates, excitement was reaching fever pitch and everyone was dying to see if Summer could pull the performance off and banish the memory of Connie Fisher.

From the opening moment of the show, and our first glimpse of Summer as Maria, it was clear that Andrew Lloyd Webber had made the right decision. Immediately winning the audience over, Summer was the life and soul of the show as she danced, sang and acted her socks off. Any scepticism surrounding the casting of a soap actress was soon forgotten and Summer had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. The pivotal moment was the first scene featuring Maria, when she sings those classic words ‘the hills are alive with the sound of music’. The audience went crazy and we were hooked from the offset.

It was a pure delight to watch Summer beam on stage as the kooky and energetic Maria. She played the role with what looked like relative ease and her singing voice was truly remarkable. She brought the right level of sincerity and naivety to Maria and it has to be said she definitely resembled the original Maria Julia Andrews. Summer nailed every single classic from the movie and she clearly thrived off the audience on numbers such as My Favourite Things and Do-Re-Mi.

Although the main attraction was Summer, her supporting cast are worthy of a mention. Margaret Preece was magnificent as Mother Abbess and she sent shivers down our spine with her soaring voice during Climb Ev’ry Mountain. Simon Burke had fantastic chemistry with Summer as her employer, and love interest, Captain Georg von Trapp and whilst the child actors were marvellous as the von Trapp children it was Amy Lennox as the eldest daughter Liesl who really stood out.

Mention must also go to the remarkable sets. The feeling of the movie was recreated through the detailed and eye-catching sets. The finale looked truly spectacular and it was incredible how the stage transformed so many times to accommodate the different settings and situations.

Summer’s opening night was a triumph. She made the character of Maria her own and the standing ovation she received during the curtain call was confirmation enough. From Hollyoaks to the West End stage, Summer has started her career with a bang and we’ve got a feeling this is only the beginning for this young starlet. Expect to see some awards heading her way in the near future but in the meantime grab your friends and family and take them to the biggest show currently in the West End. The Sound Of Music is an absolute gem!