"The Sound of Music" by Frosted Glass Creative

Seeing my sentimental favorite The Sound of Music (having grown up loving the movie, later playing clarinet in the pit orchestra for my high school production, and spending four months living in Salzburg in college) outdoors by the river in Stillwater was an absolute dream. Frosted Glass Creative had to cancel the first of only three performances due to a storm, but the delayed opening night was a success. Even though it was hot and buggy, and there were some sound issues in the challenging outdoor environment, with difficult sightlines at times, I loved every second of it. It's such a joyful story about following your dreams, connecting through music, and making difficult sacrifices to stand up for what's right. The large and talented cast and gorgeous full orchestra put so much heart into the show that even people floating by on the river could feel it. Stillwater's Zephyr Theatre premiered "Broadway on the Bridge" on this spot in the pandemic days, which sadly only lasted two years (Mamma Mia! and School of Rock) before they experienced financial difficulties and had to pause activities for a year or two. Former Zephyr Artistic Director Calyssa Hall is now with Frosted Glass (and directed this show) and began their "Broadway on the St. Croix" series last year, and it's such a great idea and a perfect spot for outdoor musicals - truly the prettiest stage in Minnesota. The second and final performance of The Sound of Music is tonight, but follow Frosted Glass for more theater opportunities along the beautiful St. Croix River.

Since the show is closing imminently, I'll just give you a few highlights of this production.

• The St. Croix River is the most beautiful setting for this show that is so much about nature and the outdoors. And while there are no mountains in Stillwater, it feels so organic to watch Maria come down the stairs in the center aisle as she's coming down the mountain to the Abbey, and the von Trapps climb an actual hill up from the river as they make their escape. The stage itself includes a beautiful two-sided staircase with lovely chandeliers, and set pieces including the important bed and curtains (set design by Franz Hall). But unlike for Zephyr's productions a few years ago, there is no raised stage, they perform on the pavement level with the audience, which makes sightlines challenging if you're sitting towards the back of the chair section. A better view might be to bring your own chair and sit up on the hillside.
• The orchestra is not listed in the program and I couldn't count them from where I was sitting, but it felt like a big full orchestra, complete with a string section, a harp, an upright bass, brass, and woodwinds. It made my band nerd heart so happy to hear this beloved score (that I played on my clarinet too many years ago to count) given full orchestra treatment in the great outdoors, and it sounded gorgeous under Music Director Caitlin Lucic.

• 

  Maria (Sara Brownson) comes to Stillwater
  (photo by Jenn Cress)

  Sara Brownson is a charmingly earnest Fraulein Maria. Sara has a career as a singer/ songwriter under the name Zippy Laske (a regular of Sue Scott's podcast Island of Discarded Women, recorded live in front of an audience at Crooners). She has a unique singer/ songwriter kind of voice which is different from the typical Julie Andrews type of Maria we usually see, and I think it's a voice that suits this rogue nun who likes to run around barefoot in the mountains, and brings a different flavor to these familiar songs.
• The actors playing the seven von Trapp children are so stinkin' cute, they're just so sweet and adorable and having the best time. And because seven children aren't enough, about a half dozen ensemble kids come out and join them for some of the big numbers, which is just an explosion of childlike joy.
• Other highlights in the cast include Christopher Kehoe as the stern Captain who warms to Maria and his children, Charles Fraser with a humorous portrayal of Max, Sarah Dickson as a sophisticated Baroness Schraeder, Madelyn Kobberman as a strong and lovely Liesl, opera trained Robert Banks the spitting image of Rolf from the movie and with a beautiful voice I wish we got to hear more of, and Kym Chambers Otto as the Mother Abbess whose gorgeous rendition of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" fortunately comes at the end of Act I, otherwise it would stop the show.
• I pity the nuns having to wear those long black habits with veils in the summer heat; they must have been sweating buckets but they never showed it! Costumes also include pretty party dresses for the girls, elegant suits for the men, and fun play clothes for the kids, although unfortunately with very few of the distinctive Austrian touches.

And let's not forget that as nostalgic and joyful as this show is, at its heart it's a story about the rise of fascism, a divided nation (the Captain notes that "half of the guests at the party are not talking to the other half," how many of us have been to those kinds of parties or family dinners in the last ten years?), and the choice between being a complacent Max ("what's going to happen is going to happen, just make sure it doesn't happen to you") and a principled Captain von Trapp, who refuses to make a deal with the devil to ensure his own and his family's safety, and instead sacrifices his home and everything he has to stand up to evil.