"The sands are alive, with the sound of music" Ok, so it doesn't quite have the same ring to it but I bet there isn't a person in Dubai who doesn't know the tune it should be sung to!
Maria Von Trapp, the children, the Captain, the Baroness - but most of all, the songs - are coming to Dubai courtesy of the Sounds of Austria - a musical troupe which has toured the world for the past 17 years bringing the magic of the classic film to the stage.
You'd have to have lived under a rock for most of the last century not to know the story or at least heard the catchy melodies of numbers including Doe a Deer, I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen, A Few of my Favourite Things and of course the glorious title song, The Sound of Music.
Director Franz Langer, who lives in Salzburg, Austria, where the show is performed every night for eight months of the year when they are not on tour, said the crew and cast are all looking forward to their first performances in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
‘Intrigued'
Langer said: "This will be our first visit to the UAE and we are all very excited. It will be amazing to play to people from all over the world in one location and I'm already intrigued about who will be buying tickets."
The team from Sounds of Austria consist of Franz as director and his son Franz Jr - both pianists - along with seven adult vocalists and four child singers.
The cast have played in 23 countries around the world from the US to Japan but say this is the first time they have introduced the children to the show.
Langer added: "We are very excited about bringing the children to Dubai and think it adds so much to the show - which the people of Dubai and Abu Dhabi will experience first, before the rest of the world - even our home town of Salzburg."
But Sounds of Music the show brings you so much more than the evergreen classics from the hit film. It includes gusty Austrian folk songs and pieces from Mozart and Strauss - composers who made Austria famous.
Documentary
Even the real Maria Von Trapp, on whom the award-winning musical was based, makes an appearance as audiences will be treated to a short BBC documentary on how the captain proposed to her.
Langer added: "We are still in contact with a few of the Von Trapp children who are in their sixties now. They love the show and love the fact we are doing folk songs which they were brought up on.
"We are proud to be telling their story and keeping the magic alive for people who love the film and the romantic story of Maria and the Von Trapp Family Singers."
The show, which will be staged at the Madinat Theatre on May 22 and 23 and at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi on May 24, has been made possible by a unique partnership between the Sounds of Austria and Sakshi Advertising here in Dubai.
Sakshi CEO Atul Dhawan explained how it came about. He said: "A friend of mine had seen the show in Salzburg and suggested it would be perfect for the UAE. I travelled to Austria to explore for myself and wasn't disappointed. We want to reach out to an audience that appreciates art irrespective of language, culture and tradition and think this is a wonderful way to do it."
Did you know?
The first show on May 22 will be a gala dinner. The show starts at 9pm and tickets are Dh1,050, Dh1,275 and Dh1,500.
On May 23, a matinee performance for children will take place at 12pm. Tickets are priced Dh 150, Dh200 and Dh250.
Tickets for the evening performance are priced Dh200, Dh400, Dh600 and Dh800 and the show starts at 8pm.
