Harmonious 'Sound of Music' is a theatrical jewel
Last Friday night was opening night for “The Sound of Music.” The performance was a sight for sore eyes and a theatrical jewel! This crowd already knew its classic songs, probably the “most whistled” of any from Broadway. This was the final collaboration by Rodgers and Hammerstein, based on a memoir called, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers."
Director Reggie Law’s creation here turned out to be a work of art. He had said he wanted to showcase this play – it was the time for it. Hearts were in it.
The play’s theme can be described by one word: “harmony,” in this case, having two meanings - one, people getting together peacefully, and the other, music, where the singing is beautiful.
Scene one: The year 1938, a nunnery in the hills of Austria, where the assembled choir really sounds quite good, almost as if they were trained! Besides that, from the start they appeared to be a tough, defiant group. (In the end it sure enough turns out that way!)
The errant nun Maria (Casey Maxwell) with a beautiful voice gets assigned the job of governess for the seven children of the widower Navy Captain von Trapp (Oliver Hoig), and well… you know.
Our harmony theme enters right away. The kids are at first not allowed to sing, apparently because their deceased mother and the captain used to enjoy singing very much, and he can’t handle the sad memories. He is no match, however, for Maria, the music, and the seven amazingly talented and harmonious kids.
It was a joy watching those Trapp Family kids zipping all around the stage singing all those wonderful songs, and people parading around in all those harmonized beautiful clothes.
When the story takes a dark turn and the Nazis are closing in, the captain has made it clear from the beginning he will not succumb. So how he manages the escape with the help of the nuns, totally to the entertainment of the audience, is by singing. As one might expect, it is done beautifully, in harmony, using the Sound of Music.
In addition to the great support throughout by the band, the solos took the cake throughout. Besides the warm and tender ones with Maria and the captain, the grand finale “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” sung by the lead nun Mother Abbess (Cadence Collins) was nothing short of heavenly. What a way to go!
Becky Ball is a longtime reviewer for The Oak Ridger.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Harmonious 'Sound of Music' is a theatrical jewel
