I will never say no to seeing
The Sound of Music,
whether on stage, or a screen of any size. I grew up watching the movie (back in the 1900s when we didn't have any way of watching movies at home other than when they were broadcast on TV, like this one frequently was), I played in the pit orchestra for a production in high school, and I lived in Salzburg for four months when I studied abroad in college. It is beloved to me for all these reasons and more, as it is to many people. Surprisingly, it's only been revived once on Broadway since it's original run in the late '50s and early '60s, although it returns again next spring, at the
Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center (my favorite Broadway venue for classic musicals). But a new tour began last fall that has finally made its way to Minneapolis, and I'm happy to report that it's as gorgeous and joyful and inspiring as always. But it's only here for a week, so
get your tickets now to visit wunderschöne Salzburg on Hennepin Avenue through October 25 (I highly recommend a visit to the real city of Salzburg too!).
Highlights of this production include:
- I'm going to start with the orchestra, because this iconic and beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein score deserves a 14-piece orchestra, including three woodwinds, four brass, and four strings. They sound simply gorgeous, conducted by music director Jonathan Marro. If you're only familiar with the movie, the stage score is slightly different, with some songs in different places in the story, and some that weren't in the movie at all. Curiously, the original Maria/Georg love song "An Ordinary Couple" is replaced by the song that took its place in the movie, "Something Good," but with different lyrics. (If any of you music-theater nerds know the story behind that, please let me know.)
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| photo by Jeremy Daniel |
Secondly, the set is gorgeous and definitely invokes memories of Salzburg. Multiple layers of backdrops with huge columns, gothic arches, and panels with a delicate lace pattern frame the stage, moving in and out to form different shapes that frame gorgeous backdrops of the Austrian countryside with its majestic mountains. At the Von Trapp home, a wall with tall French doors frames either the outside when the scene is taking place inside, or the inside when we're on the terrace. Massive set pieces include a grand staircase, the terrace walls and columns, and a hill climbing out of the graveyard for the final scene. The entire effect is effortlessly gorgeous and incredibly detailed, including the familiar Salzburg steeples and rooftops seen through the Mother Abbess' window. The period costumes also include some Austrian touches, although I would have liked more; I wore my authentic made-in-Salzburg jacket that I bought at a flea market 32 years ago! (Scenic design by Douglas W. Schmidt, costumes by Jane Greenwood.) |
| photo by Jeremy Daniel |
This huge ensemble cast includes a half dozen of the cutest kids you'll ever see, as well as a talented adult cast. On opening night, understudy Sydney K. Borchers played the role of Marie, and she was such a natural it's hard to believe she doesn't do this every night. At the start of the story she's adorably childlike and awkward, so earnest and eager for life and especially music, and grows more mature as the story progresses. And her voice is effortlessly gorgeous on these familiar songs. Broadway actor Kevin Earley is a wonderful Captain, gruff and stern and principled, but also dreamy as he softens throughout the play. Other highlights include Nicholas Rodriguez and Connor Lyon bringing some comic relief as Max and Elsa, who also illustrate the dangers of just going along with things. And it's wonderful to see Minnesota actor Steven Grant Douglas, now based in NYC, back on #TCTheater stages again, playing multiple characters in the ensemble.- As fun and nostalgic and comforting as The Sound of Music is, it's also discomfiting to watch right now. Behind the beautiful scenery and the familiar songs and the adorable children is a cautionary tale about the rise of fascism in the 1930s, and what happens when people like Max and Elsa just go along with it in order to not make waves, and hope it all blows over. It didn't blow over so easily then, and it won't now. I can't get Max and Elsa's song "No Way to Stop It" out of my head, it's a catchy little ditty with disturbing lyrics. But there is a way to stop it: #VOTE.
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| in my authentic Austrian vest and jacket on opening night |
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recreating a Julie Andrews pose at Schloss Leopoldskron just outside
Salzburg last fall, a filming location for the movie that is now a hotel |
