The Sound of Music

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

For 30 years patrons and customers bowed in awe over high-quality Broadway shows Boulder’s Dinner Theatre produced time after time after time. Celebrating those 30 years, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre bows to its customers and patrons with the most requested and beloved musical.

Katherine Donahue, Ryan Duffy, Hannah Killian, Christianna Sullins (Maria), Kaleb Tank, Jenny McPherson, Kaitlin Arant, Grace LeMieux in The Sound of Music.

Through September 2, 2007 The Boulder Hills will ring with The Sound of Music, the last of the collaborations for the brilliant Rodgers & Hammerstein.

Based loosely on the true story of The Von Trapp Family Singers, skirting the beginning of World War II with the German invasion of Austria, powerful music, defining lyrics, an unexpected love affair, political confrontations separating lovers, friends, and family members, courage and determination providing a high note of hope and “feel good” takes this musical to the top of the favorite list.

Because the exquisite movie starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer finds its way into the television schedule frequently, there is the sense it is over done. In actuality, this is only the third time it has been produced in several years. Denver Center Attractions brought it to the Auditorium Theatre at the DCPA 1995 starring Marie Osmond, and a few years ago by the Pinnacle Dinner Theatre.

The last time BDT produced it was in the later 1970s. For the Denver Metro Theatre Community, The Sound of Music could hardly be classified as over-done.

Neal Dunfee’s BDT orchestra fills the notes for the music to capacity bouncing off the walls and into the hills projected onto the walls putting finishing touches on Amy Campton’s set, one of the most gorgeous to grace the BDT stage, and there have been several stunning sets over the years. Something there is about this set design in concert with the orchestra filling the theatre with oh so familiar greatly loved music, setting the tone, creating the smile, erasing tension, allowing inspiration to fill in the gaps.

Stunning how musical theatre has the power to do so much in so little time.

With her strong, powerful gorgeous voice, Christianna Sullins cloaks herself in Maria’s flibberty gibbet demeanor. Sullins’ eyes tell her story, believing the words she sings. Maria having grown up on the mountain next to the Nonnberg Abbey dreams of becoming a nun. Maria’s spirit bursts with the sheer unadulterated joy of being alive. For her, discipline lives in a box way too small to contain her song, her fun, and the music in her soul. Presenting a conundrum for Mother Abbess (Barb Reeves), the major question becomes what to do about Maria? Some of the nuns know Maria doesn’t belong there. One, in particular, admits Maria makes her laugh, although that might not be a reason to keep her.

Mother Abbess softens the blow for Maria with the delicious song “My Favorite Things.” A widower, Captain Gaylord Von Trapp (John Scout Clough) a dyed in the wool disciplined hard-nosed navy man struggles to raise his seven children. Nannies don’t seem to stay long because of frogs, short-sheeted beds, and desperate pranks from desperate children who get to march, never getting to play. Clough surrounds himself with the disciplined Navy Captain mentality. Fun laughter, music have been banned from his villa, not because he is basically mean, but because of the painful memories created from the wife and mother he loved.

The contrast between Sullins and Clough define the juxtaposition between free spirited loving and compassionate Maria and the stern military minded Captain.

With a double cast for the seven children, they are divided into the Blue cast and the Red cast. The night I was there the Blue cast performed: Katherine Donahue (Liesl), Ryan Fitzgerald (Rolf), Kaleb Tank (Kurt, Ryan Duffy (Friedrich), Hannah Killian (Louisa), Kaetlyn Arant (Marta), Brooklyn Fano (Brigitta), and Grace LeMieux (Gretl). TheyÕre adorable and talented knowing how to win friends and influence people.

The Red cast includes: Olyvia Beyette (Liesl), Christopher Douglass (Rolf), Will Hawkins (Kurt), Max Silverman (Friedrich), Rosie Irwin (Louisa), Jordan Haleigh Morgan (Marta), Jenny McPherson (Brigitta), and Rachael Perez (Gretl).

160 children auditioned and the crème de la crème were cast in these coveted roles. The children all have gorgeous voices, capturing the character’s personalities. There were moments when a couple of them appeared awkward and even uncertain about their next move. This particularly showed up in the “So Long, Farewell” song at the Captain’s party. As the show gels, the cast nestles into their characters, the children will naturally settle in as well.

Directed and choreographed by the talented Scott Beyette, a couple of the cast members after the show admitted to having a difficult time changing gears from the highly involved and intoxicating Ragtime into The Sound of Music rhythm. I greatly appreciated their candor. Their were moments when the blocking wasn’t quite as smooth as it could be or will be when the production gels demanding its rightful place.

The scenes that shown brightest involved the Captain, Elsa Schraeder (Shelly Cox-Robie), Max Detweiler (A. K. Klimpke) and the house staff, the Butler, Franz (Beyette), and the Housekeeper Frau Schmidt (Jennifer Gaydosh). (Joanie Brousseau-Beyette will step into the role later in June). KlimpkeÕs masterful comedic handle brought Max the well-oiled, always-looking-for-his-next-million, always-looking-for-the-next-musical- sensation, always-knowing-where-and-how to maintain-his-grand-life-style to humorous bigger than life status. He colored the air with bright primary colors in contrast to the Captain’s toned down colors keeping emotions under wraps.

Cox-Robie gave a delightful twist to Elsa, Gaylord’s fiancée. Instead of playing her as a sharp-edged society snob, Cox-Robie softened her to a charming delightful dignified woman who needed some time getting use to seven children with just a twinge of jealous anxiety toward the flush-faced Maria.

What breaks Elsa and the Captain apart is not so much the difference between Maria and Elsa as the politics. As the German Reich gains power demanding loyalty, the loyal Austrian Captain asks Elsa, “Can’t you see things my way?” She can only answer, “Not as long as I see things their way.” It is the first time in seeing The Sound of Music, heartbreak stood in the midst of the Captain and Elsa’s break up. Of course, it had to be. He had already fallen head over heels in love with Maria. It was just taking a while for him to break out of his ice cube tray.

The song “How Can Love Survive” with Max, Elsa and the Captain tap into amusing images between the three hovering around sharp political overtones.

Favorite BDT artists Wayne Kennedy, Brian Norber, and Brian Jackson play relatively small roles carrying a big stick and a heavy hitting punch as members of the German SS. In the midst of this gigantic love story between Maria and the Captain, Elsa and the Captain, the Captain and Austria, and Max and his grand life-style, hovers the threat and power of Nazi German and the loss of Austria.

Seeing the German SS in traditional SS uniforms instead of the powerful Nazi uniforms that carry a huge shock wave slightly rattled my cage. It seemed the German officials were only wearing blue suits with insignias. Producer Michael Duran enlightened me to lengthy discussions between Beyette and Costume designer Linda Morken. The script actually calls for the traditional SS uniforms, and Morken and Beyette decided to honor it. Undoubtedly because of the power of the movie, every other stage production I have seen went for high-booted military Nazi uniforms. Although this came as an initial surprise, the reality of what was going on politically carried its tragic punch with Kennedy, Norber, and Jackson.

The design of Morken’s costumes from the nuns, to Maria’s borrowed outfit she had to wear to the Von Trapp villa the first time because not even the poor wanted it, to the children’s uniforms, to the play clothes, to the gorgeous gowns worn at the Captain’s elegant party, played well with the characters and actors.

The songs resonated with memories and familiarities with strong powerful voices from Maria’s The Sound of Music, Maria and the children’s “Do-Re-Me,” Rolf and Liesl’s “Going On Sixteen,” Maria and the Captain’s “I Must Have Done Something Good,” and the Nuns with their Gregorian chants.

Undoubtedly most people won’t notice or even care about the wobbly stage movements as the cast finds its rhythm and the children become accustomed to their stage lives. The music, the voices, and the lyrics contain more than enough gelatin to bring the production to its expected heights. It is after all, The Sound of Music presented by BDT’s highly succinct professional artists. Don’t miss this production. It wraps the soul with comfort in a shroud of silk.