The Muny’s The Sound of Music is
Alive and as Fresh as Mountain Air

by Pat Lindsey

     The Sound of Music has passed the test of time and my goosebumps barometer. It is the one musical that has never grown old for me and I’ve seen it countless times on stage and the movie version since the mid-1960s. Even though I know every lyric of every song, I still get goosebumps when I hear, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss,” and “The Sound of Music.”
I absolutely love this show and The Muny’s production has reached the pinnacle. The Alps are alive in panoramic photography as they form the magnificent background for the fantastic stage sets that take us back to the lavish von Trapp estate in 1938 Austria.

The show opens with the star, Kate Rockwell, literally rising up through the stage floor as she bursts into the title song. Rockwell plays Maria Rainer von Trapp as beautifully as any Maria before her. Her clear melodic vocals are perfect for every song in this award-winning score by Rodgers & Hammerstein. She is young and charming and possesses the energy needed to handle seven precocious children and the tenacity to put a stern naval captain in his place.

Michael Hayden as Captain Georg von Trapp gives a solid performance as the family’s patriarch, but I wanted him to be a little more dynamic and compassionate. Instead, he seemed restrained in his  Austrian  captain role and his singing . Still, he is believable as he recreates his family and leads them across the Alps to the safety of Switzerland.
There are subtle nuances in this production that make it feel fresh. When Maria teaches the children to sing, “Do Re Mi,” they not only use their voices, but they also express the lyrics in sign language. In “The Lonely Goatherd,” little Gretl (played by Kate Scarlett Kappel) adds new theatrics to her role in that song. The characters of Max Detweiler (John Scherer) and Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Jenny Powers) are more likable than I remembered, especially when they sang, “How Can Love Survive?” And later in the show, when Rolf (Andrew Alstat) finds the von Trapp family hidden in the abbey’s cemetery, he decides not to blow the whistle on them–a departure from the original script.

One of the many standout performances in this show is given by Bryonha Marie Parham, who plays the Mother Abbess. Never have I ever heard “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” sung more beautifully. My goosebumps were out of control then and when the audience went wild during her final curtain call.
It takes a creative director to make an old show feel new again and Director Matt Kunkel has done just that by teaming up with Music Director Ben Whiteley and Choreographer Beth Crandall to make this stage version of  The Sound of Music almost as good as the movie. Directing children can’t be easy, but the von Trapp children never seem to miss a beat. They’re as professional as every other member of this talented cast.

My thanks to Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson for bringing The Sound of Music back to The Muny for the 11th time. It was like meeting an old friend after a long absence and feeling as though no time had passed. The Sound of Music will always be one of my favorite things.
   

The Sound of Music will be performed at The Muny in Forest Park nightly at 8:15 p.m. now through Mon., Aug. 9. For tickets, go to muny.org, call 314-534-1111, or stop by The Muny Box Office.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us