THE SOUND OF MUSIC to Launch Australian Tour Later This Year

Producers John Frost, Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and the Really Useful Group today announced that the lavish London Palladium production of The Sound of Music will come to Australia in late 2015 for a national tour.

This acclaimed production of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein musical premiered in 2006 at the home of West End musical theatre, the London Palladium, where it celebrated a record-breaking 954 performances seen by well over 2 million people, before going on to enjoy sell-out seasons internationally.

The Sound of Music tells the uplifting true story of Maria, a fun-loving governess who changes the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by re-introducing them to music, culminating in the family's escape across the mountains from Austria. It features an unforgettable score that includes some of the most famous songs ever performed on stage, including My Favorite Things, Edelweiss, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd, Climb Ev'ry Mountain and the title song, The Sound of Music.

The musical originally premiered on Broadway in 1959 to record-breaking advance ticket sales, where it won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show opened in London in 1961 and became the longest-running American musical of its generation. 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.

The original Australian production of The Sound of Music opened at Melbourne's Princess Theatre in 1961 and ran for three years with a cast headed by the talented Australian soprano June Bronhill. Later Australian productions starred Julie Anthony and Lisa McCune as Maria.

"The Sound of Music is an iconic musical, probably the most loved musical of all, and contains all the elements which make a show magical," said John Frost on behalf of his co-producers. "It is exciting that Australian audiences will see a production of this quality, which has entertained so many people across the globe. I'm very much looking forward to the auditions to find someone very special as Australia's new Maria and the Von Trapp children."

Auditions for the adult cast will occur shortly, and casting for the children's roles will begin in August. Season venues and dates will be announced later this year.

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