Love and war are captured in the Capitol Theater Summerstage performance of "Sound of Music," transporting the audience to pre-World War II Austria in a familiar and entertaining story for all ages.
"Sound of Music," directed by Peter Loftus, continues on stage at the Capitol Theatre tonight at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
For those who love the classic film starring Julie Andrews, this is not the same experience. The original stage musical, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, debuted in 1959. The film, which came out in 1965, had songs written especially for it by Rodgers, including "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good." The film also moved songs such as "My Favorite Things" and "The Lonely Goatherd" to different places in the story line from the original script.
That being said, the play is a classic love story — in the "boy meets girl" respect as well as the closeness and importance of family.
Based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," the stage is set in 1930s Austria, and revolves around a free-spirited nun, Maria, played by Alexandra Priore. At the urging of her Mother Superior, Lauralyn Kolb, she leaves the convent to assume the role of governess to a family of seven troubled children.
At the helm is a stern and grieving father, Captain Georg von Trapp, portrayed to-the-hilt by John Melvin. Priore’s Maria captures his heart, as well as that of the audience, with her uncompromising cheerfulness and enthusiastic mind-set. The children, Liesl, 16, Hanna Rosenstein; Friedrich, 14, Peter Burritt; Louisa, 13, Anna Clark; Kurt, 10, Quinton Cosentino; Brigitta, 9, Tayler Kochan; Marta, 7, August Ambrose; and Gretl, 5, Alexandra Kiesel, instantly take to this new version of a governess, as, like the Pied Piper, she draws them in with song.
While the lead part is that of Maria, the star of the show was Kiesel in her portrayal of the youngest von Trapp. She captivated the audience with sheer adorableness.
Other noteworthy performances included the nuns, especially Kolb, who’s rendition of "Climb Every Mountain" brought chills to an otherwise warm auditorium. Taylor Mills’ portrayal of Lisel’s love interest Rolf was fine, but his singing voice was superb. In contrast, Fred Frantz as the lovable "Uncle" Max Detweiler struggled a bit with the songs, but more than made up for it in his acting, bringing the character to life with comical antics.
The choreographer stayed away from any daring dance moves, which left some scenes a little flat, but the Ländler between the Captain and Maria was sweet and well done. The music from the live orchestra was beautifully put forth. There were some minor sound issues — a wimple seems an ingenious place to hide microphone, some were hidden too well. And while there were some opening night jitters to start, the performance ended on a high note with the audience on their feet to acclaim the entire cast for a job well done.
Tickets are $17, $16 for seniors, $15 for members, and $13 for students and children. Tickets are available online at www.romecapitol.com or by phone at 337-6453.
