For Jennifer Semrick and Jim Ballad, playing mother and father to seven children doesn't end once they get off stage. 'I do feel like a second mum sometimes,' says Semrick, who has been playing the role of Maria in The Sound of Music for more than four years, opposite Ballad's Captain Georg von Trapp. '[The children] say, 'Can I call you mother now?' '[Adults] know the difference between the show and reality,' she says. 'But the children are still growing up, learning and reading on stage. 'They look up to me and Jim. We have a lot to share, from acting to personal issues and homework. We feel like their second parents.' Semrick says the children help to keep the long-running show fresh: 'I can't work with them if we don't have a really good relationship off the stage,' she says. 'Do I feel like a mother to them? Yes.' The Sound of Music, one of the world's best known musicals, is coming to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts later this month and is scheduled to run until early November. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein more than 45 years ago, based on the true story of the von Trapp family. Maria, a young novice nun, is sent to be governess to the windower captain's unruly seven children. She not only wins over the children, but also the authoritarian captain. On the eve of the second world war, they flee Austria. The Broadway musical's first run lasted for 1,443 performances, winning seven Tony Awards along the way, including best musical. In 1965, it was made into a movie, directed by Robert Wise, starring Julie Andrews as Maria and Christopher Plummer as the captain. It won five Oscars, including best picture. Hong Kong is the latest stop in the stage production's year-long tour of Asia, which includes Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The schedule is hectic, but invigorating. And playing to Asian audiences can sometimes be challenging. 'They know all the songs,' says Ballad. 'When we went to Shanghai, everybody sang along. They know what it's supposed to be like.' Semrick says there was a lot of talking during the shows on the mainland, which was disconcerting at first. 'We didn't realise they were explaining to the children. In Japan, the audiences were so quiet. We're used to different cultures and audiences now. And we haven't seen anyone who doesn't love the show.' One of the biggest challenges for Semrick has been working under the shadow of Andrews' portrayal. 'Many people expect to see Julie Andrews on the stage,' she says. 'They're familiar with her singing the songs. It's where they learnt about the musical. 'When I'm singing these famous songs, I'm under lots of pressure. But the most important thing for me is to try to bring this real person to life.' Semrick has had to struggle to make the part her own - even in small ways such as wearing her hair differently to Andrews. The show's various directors have been encouraging, she says. 'They said we weren't doing the movie. We were doing the real story - the way it was originally written. I learnt as much as I could about Maria, to get an idea of her personality.' Nonetheless, Semrick says she has a high regard for Andrews. 'I met her once. She's almost not real - incredibly elegant. She spoke to me as if we were in the same show together. I couldn't believe what a generous person she is.' Semrick and Ballad say they're looking forward to their Hong Kong run. Anyone for a singalong? The Sound of Music, Sept 23- Nov 6, Academy for Performing Art, $190-$690, HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 3128 8288
