London 'Music' Lets Go of Shepherd; Hanson is Von Trapp

After two preview performances, the highly anticipated West End revival of The Sound of Music has lost its leading man.

Simon Shepherd, who was playing Captain Von Trapp, has been dismissed from the show, according to the London Daily Mail.  "The actor has been shown the door after bosses complained his interpretation of Captain Von Trapp was 'not working' after appearing in just two performances of the famous musical...His agents were negotiating a six figure 'leaving fee' with the show's producers, believed to be around £150,000," according to the article, which also states the cast "regarded the actor, who has worked extensively in theatre but not often in musicals, as a 'lovely, decent man,'...but added he couldn't stamp the part with the authority a retired Austrian Naval captain would require."

Understudy Christopher Dickins will go on in Shepherd's place tonight.  The latter actor has been replaced by Alexander Hanson, whom producers are hoping is "ready to go on stage on Wednesday." 

Shepherd was one of the stars of the popular "Peak Practice," and also appeared on British TV in "Warriors," "Bliss," "Poirot," "Lillie," "May We Borrow Your Husband?," as well as in the films Carmen, Spice World, Wuthering Heights, Henry V, and The Doctor and the Devils.

Hanson is a theatre veteran whose TV credits include "Murder City," "The Bill," Auf Wiedersehen, Pet," "Rosemary & Thyme," and "Doctor Finlay," and who has appeared on screen in Kidulthood, You Can Run..., and The Red Fury. 

The news of the replacement comes over a month after Emma Williams--who was originally slated as the alternate in the role of Maria--withdrew from the production due to star Connie Fisher's decision to play 8 performances a week.  Fisher was the winner of the high-profile British reality show "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria," in which producer Andrew Lloyd Webber and others helped to select the actress who would carry the Sound of Music revival.

The Sound of Music--which has earned $13 million in advance sales--began previews at the London Palladium on November 3rd and opens on November 15th. Jeremy Sams (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) directs and Lloyd Webber produces.  The revival also features, among others, opera star Lesley Garrett as the Mother Abbess.

The Sound of Music, which concerns a plucky young governess who becomes the matriarch of the von Trapp family, features music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II.

"Simon wants to wish Alexander Hanson and everyone involved in the production the very best of luck," said Shepherd's spokesman.