Sound of Music

“The Sound of Music,” currently at the Woodland Opera House, under the direction of Angela Frost Baltezore, may just be the best community theater production of this beloved classic that I have ever seen.

Everything from the actors to the orchestra under the direction of James C. Glica-Hernandez to the lovely costumes by Laurie Everly-Klassen, down to the sets by John Bowles and even the speed and efficiency of the backstage crew changing the scenes was first-rate.

And what’s not to like about “The Sound of Music”? This popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical story of the von Trapp family has more familiar tunes than most musicals. Nearly every single one of them is familiar to everyone in the audience, including ”Do Re Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and, of course, the title song. If you don’t leave the theater humming at least one of them, you must have slept through it all.

The audience could tell from the very first scene, with nuns gathered on the stairs to the stage singing in bell-clear Gregorian chant, that we were in for something special.

Crissi Cairns Kessler is the earnest young postulant, wanting so much to become a nun; the loving governess who teaches her young charges how to sing, and reminds them about having fun; the woman learning about love for the first time, melting the heart of a military man. Kessler’s winsome personality and beautiful voice are just the frosting on the cake.

Michael Maples is a stern and distant Georg von Trapp, using brusqueness to mask the pain of losing his wife. His children must answer to whistle calls and their only exercise is marching. As Maria works her magic on him, he softens and allows himself to love his children as they are.

The children themselves are wonderful. Director Baltezore has found a group of seven professional young actors, each of whom was talented and disciplined, down to adorable little 5-year-old Anneli Spieler (Gretl), who squirmed a bit toward the end, but who never missed a cue or failed to sing with her siblings.

Emily Jo Seminoff was a lovely Liesl and Christian Salmon as Friedrich hits a high note that was nothing short of amazing. Abby Miles (Louisa), Campbell Salmon (Kurt), Hayley Harrison (Brigitta) and Casey Wathen (Marta) also were perfect in their roles.

Rodger McDonald owns the stage whenever he appears and his Max Detweiler was strong and memorable. He’s a fabulous asset to any production.

Elizabeth Nilsen is sufficiently “upper crust” as Elsa Schraeder, a woman who has her cap set for Georg, but who isn’t sure she’s ready to be mother to seven children. She’s not the most likable character in the story and Nilsen effectively manages to be both beautiful and icy.

But the most memorable character of the evening had to be Nancy Agee as the Mother Abbess, whose guidance helps Maria discover God’s plan for her. Agee has a professional voice and could easily play this role in a professional production. Her “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” was the high point of the evening and when she hit that last high note, it truly sent chills down my spine.

Though this entire production is wonderful, it would be worth seeing if only to hear Agee.

Others in the cast included Mollie Smith as Sister Berthe, Ryan Wathen as Sister Margaretta, Stephanie Blackwell as Sister Sophia and Matthew Kohrt as Rolf, the telegram delivery boy in love with Liesl.

Melissa Dahlberg makes the most of her tiny role as the second-prize winner at the music festival.

Everly-Klassen’s costumes were beautiful, particularly the children’s concert costumes and Maria’s honeymoon dress (as well as her wedding dress).

John Bowles’ set works wonders on the tiny Opera House stage, and including the aisle of the house itself was a wonderful idea. The abbey’s stained-glass windows were beautiful and the painted backdrop of the Alps gave the perfect setting to the outdoor scenes.

This is a not-to-be-missed production, if you are fan of “Sound of Music.” Even if you think you have already seen it, this production makes it worth seeing again.

The Sound of Music

The ladies rule, in the Davis Musical Theatre Company's production of 'The Sound of Music.' The women in the cast far outshine the men in this sparkling show, which is directed by Jan Isaacson.

A company with a small house can use the entire theater in many scenes, and Isaacson does this quite well, starting with the opening Gregorian chant by the nuns of Nonnberg Abby: They file in from the back of the theater, chanting on their way down the stairs and through the audience, and finally onto the stage.

The curtains then open, to reveal postulant Maria sitting on her beloved mountain. The scenery - designed by Steve Isaacson - is lovely, and perfectly conveys a sense of the mountains.

Kate Hight is outstanding as Maria. She has a lovely voice and a fresh earnestness to her character; just watching her makes us want to smile. She's particularly good during her scenes with the von Trapp children, for whom she takes a temporary job as governess.

Marguerite Morris is wonderful as the Mother Abbess, who sends Maria to the von Trapp home, hoping she'll discover whether she has a true vocation. Morris is at her best, of course, in the signature 'Climb Every Mountain,' for which she receives a well-deserved ovation.

The delightful '(How Do You Solve a Problem like) Maria' is sung with Sister Margaretta (Eimi Stokes), Sister Berthe (Mary Young) and Sister Sophia (Laura Sitts). Stokes is particular charming, and has an irrepressible personality.

The von Trapp children are essential to the popularity of this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, and Isaacson's experience as director of DMTC's young performers program really shows, both in her selection of seven outstanding young actors, and in her direction of the group. Individually and collectively, they're all quite good.

Liesl, who is '16 Going on 17,' is played by Moriah Haworth; she has a winning voice and beautifully expresses the joy of new love, and the heartbreak of its loss.

Kendyl Ito plays Brigitta, who seems never to have an unexpressed thought.

The others are Rami Rashmawi, as Friedrich; Jasmin Mould, as Louisa; William Chan, as Kurt; Ani Carrera, as Marta; and Rose Moylan as the adorable youngest, Gretl. The group sings well together, and down to the youngest they're all professional on stage.

Emily Cannon-Brown plays Elsa Schraeder, the woman who hopes to wed Capt. von Trapp (Giorgio Selvaggio) until she realizes that his feelings for Maria are more than that of an employer for an employee. Cannon-Brown also is a strong performer, and has a lovely voice.

Sadly, the men in the cast don't fare as well. Selvaggio has a big voice, but even the sprayed-on gray hair can't make him look old enough to have fathered seven children. He looks more like Liesl's brother than her parent. This might have been overlooked if Selvaggio appeared more comfortable on stage, but - alas - he doesn't.

Herb K. Schultz fares a little better as Max Detweiler, the opportunistic entrepreneur who is determined to befriend both Austrians and Germans as the war approaches, and to exploit whomever he can for his own good. Schultz is OK but not outstanding.

As Rolf, the young man who delivers telegrams and steals Liesl's heart, Matthew Kohrt is the best of the male actors; sadly, his role is small.

This is one of the better-looking DMTC shows, with each scene clearly demonstrating the work that went into it. This show's dedication to quality also is revealed by the size of the orchestra, with 18 musicians listed in the program. That's more than I remember seeing for any previous DMTC show.

Jeanne Henderson's costumes are wonderful, and the wedding dress for Maria is a knockout, with a train that covers half the length of the stairs, as she descends through the audience on her way to the stage. (This dress was a donation to DMTC many years ago.)

Despite a few shortcomings, this 'Sound of Music' is well worth the price of admission. Hight's performance as Maria is worth the price of admission; after including all the other good things about this production, it definitely won't disappoint DMTC's fans.

Sound of Music

At the curtain call for "The Sound of Music," which inaugurated Davis Music Theatre's 17th season, there were cheers and lots of flowers for the performers. The audience of friends, relatives, and long-time supporters were celebrating what DMTC does best: give local actors and actresses the chance to do what they love most. DMTC epitomizes the word "amateur" in its best sense: People who perform for the love of it.

And what's not to love in this popular musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein? The familiar tunes are those many have grown up with--"My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Edelweiss," and of course the title song.

"The Sound of Music," directed by Jan Isaacson, with musical direction by husband Steve, is a family affair. It features Wendy Young as Maria, the young postulant who leaves the convent to become governess for a family of motherless children. In her long history with DMTC, Young, who has been performing since age 7, played Liesl in a previous production of this same show. She has now grown into a mature young woman and was a warm and affectionate Maria.

Also in the cast is Wendy's mother, Mary Young as the blustery Sister Berthe, who struggles to find the answer to "how do we solve a problem like Maria?" Young has long been a favorite of DMTC audiences.

The Bruening family is represented by Ben, as an energetic Max Detweiller, the opportunistic entrepreneur who is determined to exploit the singing Von Trapp children for his own benefit.

Ben's wife, Noelle has several small roles, including the "Danke Lady," winning second place at the Salzburg musical festival. Her enthusiastic acceptance is very cute.

Two of the von Trapp children are played by real life brother and sister, Edward (Kurt) and Amber (Gretl) Bianchi. (the other children are Melody Davi as Liesl, Steven Garman as Friedrich, Maggie Roesser as Louisa, Julia Spangler as Brigitta and Ariel Pytel as Marta. Amber's mother, Jeannie, also plays the Baroness Elberfeld)

The von Trapp children are perennial crowd pleasers, and this group works together quite well, even if their harmonies aren't always right on.

Colby Salmon plays Rolf, the young Nazi torn between his love for Liesl and his dedication to the Fatherland. Colby's father Chris also appears on stage as one of the "Nazis/Party Guests" and also plays in the orchestra along with several other Salmons. (There are about as many Salmons in this production as there are von Trapps).

Reprising his role from the 1989 production, Warren Harrison is the rigid, widowed Georg von Trapp, a retired officer in the Imperial Navy. Since his wife died, von Trapp has strictly run his house like a militaristic, humorless naval ship - there is no time for play and his regimented children function like a troop of automaton-sailors. He learns from Maria what it is to be a father

Laura Parkes is outstanding in the supporting role of Elsa Schrader, who has her cap set for Georg until she realizes his obvious affection for the young Maria. This is Parkes' return to the theatre after a long hiatus, and one hopes this is the start of a long association with DMTC.

Dannette Bell, in the small role of Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper, is charming.

Janet McNeil, in her DMTC debut, gives a notable performance as the Mother Abbess, whose affection for Maria leads her to send the young girl off from the convent to find the will of God regarding her true vocation.

Cheryl Barker is making her on-stage debut as Sister Margretta, after years of playing piano in several DMTC orchestras.

The chorus of nuns has been well trained and brings back memories of Catholic school days and singing Gregorian chant. Their habits could be a little more uniform to make the picture complete, but one can't fault their singing.

Costume design is by Jean Henderson and one does have to wonder why the von Trapp children appear at the Salzburg Music Festival wearing the same clothes made from curtains which so upset their father in Act 1. But overall, Henderson has given us a good looking show--and Elsa's party gown is a knockout.

Sets by Steve Isaacson are minimal in spots, but the stained glass window for the convent was very impressive.

The notable thing about this production is the enunciation. Without exception every single performer could be heard and understood throughout the theatre. In these days of amplified performances, this is a rarity.

The expanded 19 piece DMTC orchestra, under Isaacson's direction, was excellent, and greatly added to the production.

Amateur groups don't always have the most trained voices or advanced acting skills but there's a quaint innocence and sincerity that lies at the heart of enjoyable theatre experiences. The connection between audience and performers at "The Sound of Music"'s opening night proves that this enduring musical will continue to draw large audiences. It's a wonderful show for children. And it is in the very best tradition of amateur theatre.

Stars: 3