By Jennifer Mustoe
I have seen the film version of The Sound of Music approximately one million times, so when I saw that the stage version was coming to Broadway at the Eccles Theater, I was going to benevolently give it to one of my reviewers. I thought, without Julie Andrews, what’s the point? (I spent many years trying to talk like Andrews and even wanted to get that pixie haircut like hers. Mom said no.) But I kept thinking, what does the stage version of The Sound of Music have that the film does not?
You know what? It has a TON of differences in plot, songs, and the obvious stage sets of a live performance. And they are marvelous.
Okay, honesty time here–when I saw the stage version of Mary Poppins, another Julie Andrews iconic show, I was Not Happy. The songs were not in the right order. There were new characters. It didn’t work for me at all.
But the live version of The Sound of Music has fleshed out some characters that were minor in the film, added a few that are great comic relief, and had several songs I’d never heard. And I loved it!
First of all, the actress playing Maria Rainer (who knew that was her last name?), Jill-Christine Wiley, is lovely, sings like an angel, and is all that a bunch of ignored children could love. I’d want her to be my governess times ten. Her scenes with the nuns in the abbey before she gets booted to the Von Trapp mansion are wonderful. Sister Berthe (Danielle Lee James), Sister Margaretta (Alison Macri), and Sister Sophia (Melissa Weyn) all begin to sing “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” and I felt myself smiling. I wondered how many of us were humming in our minds this funny quirky song. And how many of us, at some point, thought the same thing (what do we DO with these kids) about our own children that the nuns worried about with Maria. Leading the abbey is The Mother Abbess (Lauren Kidwell) who got the biggest applause at the end. Kidwell owns the stage as well as owning one of the finest voices I’ve ever heard, and her acting is completely perfect. Wiley and Kidwell have a great duet of “Favorite Things”. What? It’s not on the bed with Julie Andrews during a storm? Nope. For that scene, “The Lonely Goatherd” chases the lightning fears away. And it works beautifully. Did I miss the puppet show from the film? Nope. I’d love to hear someone yodeling with me the next time there’s a scary storm.
Maria shows up at the palatial Von Trapp home and immediately picks up her trusty guitar and teaches the kids “Do-Re-Mi”. The fall in love with her, and since they’re super cute kids (who can sing!) and she was always getting in trouble for singing in the abbey, it’s a match made in heaven. The seven Von Trapp kiddos are all really great–singing and acting. I did worry about little Sophia Massa, who plays Gretl. TSOM is a pretty long show and she is a pretty little kid. But she gets some of the best lines and performs them with a cute and innocent sass. The other children, Liesl (Keslie Ward), Friedrich (London Brimacombe), Louise (Maya Karp), Kurt (Arick Brooks), Brigitta (Katie Grgecic), and Marta (Amaryllis C. Miller ) are all cute as we want them to be.
The ne’er do well friend Max Detweiler (Jake Mills) does not sing in the film, but we get to hear him sing in the live version and he’s great. He is a comical character, until he is not. He is friends with Von Trapp’s fiancee, the character who had little to do in the film and has several fun songs in the musical. Elsa Shraeder, played by Melissa McKamie, is lovely, uber rich, dresses like she has a million–which she does have, and seems an unlikely mother for that lonely group of motherless children. (Maria to the rescue!) McKamie has a great voice and so much style and luxurious grace, you feel like you’d never want to be in the same room with her. She’d make anyone look dumpy.
Maria meets the stern Captain Von Trapp (Mike McLean) and you all know what happens. Their scenes are the best in the show when it was just those two–they have a loving chemistry and their dance! Oh, romantic goosebumps! And their wedding? (Don’t tell me you don’t know they get married.) It is so beautiful.
Costuming by Jane Greenwood is great–lots of color, especially for Maria and the kids. And Shraeder’s pink suit is to die for. Scenic Designer Douglas W. Schmidt creates the Alps, the abbey, the mansion–it’s all yummy. Lighting Designer Natasha Katz does some amazing things to create the chapel where the wedding takes place. It is magical and quite spiritual. I shed a little tear there. As always, the Eccles’s productions have a live orchestra, TSOM led by Michael Uselmann. I’ve heard those songs, heck, I’ve sung those songs my whole life. But the music of a live orchestra–well, it took my breath away. So awesome!
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Director Matt Lenz (original director Jack O’Brien) creates a show that is sort of like the film, but all his own, too. Choreographer Jonathan Warren creates a lovely waltz for the party scene, but seemed to be concerned that there was too much similarity with the film. I wanted more movement.
Last night, it was almost a packed house, so it seems like Utah loves us some Sound of Music. There are seats of all prices, so do come and see the Von Trapps live and in person. The Eccles has created this cool area where you can walk around the theater and see the stars, who will sign your playbill. That is such a fun new activity from a great venue and organization. Bring your kids, your parents, your friends. But bring a coat, too. It was FREEZING outside and not that warm inside, either. Wear a sweater under the coat.
AND, the Eccles announced their new season! I’ll be writing a little piece about that soon.
Broadway at the Eccles presents Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, Book by Lindsay & Crouse
Delta Hall at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main Street, SLC, UT 84111
February 27-March 4, 2018 Tues-Thurs 7:30 PM, Fri-Sat, 8:00 PM, Sat 2:00 PM, Sunday 1:00 PM, 6:30 PM
Tickets: $35-$110
Contact: 385-468-1030, events@artsaltlake.org
Broadway at the Eccles Facebook Page
The Sound of Music Facebook Event
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