REVIEW
What: The Sound of Music
When: To Dec. 16
Where: McPherson Playhouse
Rating: ??? 1/2 (out of five)
Years ago, in the callow days of my youth, I once wrote of The Sound of Music: "And then I started to pray that the Nazis would annihilate Maria."
That remark - silly and tasteless - came to haunt me. Yes, The Sound of Music, born half a century ago, is saccharine by 21st-century tastes. Still, the it's one of the classics of American musical theatre. It's easy to see why.
The hits, as they say, keep on a-comin'.
Consider this set-list: My Favourite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd, Climb Every Mountain, Edelweiss, So Long, Farewell and of course the title tune. We know every song, hence those ubiquitous "sing-along" Sound of Music screenings. And Richard Rodgers' lush, simple melodies are undeniably beautiful.
The Victoria Operatic Society has revived The Sound of Music just in time for Christmas. Is this production worth attending?
Yes. True, there is some stiffness in the acting - part of the blame lies with the original book, which paints characters and situations in black and white.
Yet there's good singing afoot, making it worth the trip.
Kelley O'Connor - a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts - is a sturdy Maria, on Friday night displaying an appealing timbre that's slightly huskier than Julie Andrews'. Surprisingly, some of the loveliest vocalizing of the evening came from the choir of nuns.
Their opening number and Act II showcase (Gaude-mus Domino, Reprise: Maria and Confitemini Domino) - presented with just the right amount of reverb - was beautifully sung. A well-modulated orchestra, conducted by Robert Cooper, sounded great. It's not the easiest score; tricky rhythms were navigated with finesse.
Who doesn't know the story of The Sound of Music? Maria is a novice nun who leaves the convent to become a governess in Austria, just before the Second World War breaks out. She looks after seven youngsters whose mother has died.
Their father, Capt. Georg von Trapp, orders his brood around like the military officer he once was.
It's all marching and whistle toots. Music is verboten - or at least, it is until the irrepressible Maria shows up, guitar in hand. (This tale is based on fact, by the way - there was indeed a real von Trapp family who became performers after fleeing the Nazis.)
An early love interest, Elsa (well played by the clarion-voiced and ever reliable Francesca Bitonti) eventually fades from the scene.
Instead, Capt. Georg becomes captivated by the singing nun, as does his brood. The Nazis finally march, however, the von Trapps make a miraculous and highly unlikely escape, vamoosing into the mountains clad in dress slippers and capes.
The Sound is Music is 脙录ber-romantic, almost to the point of abstraction.
The storyline is a canvas painted in the broadest of strokes. The heroine, Maria, is practically a saint. The Nazis represent pure evil. Capt. Georg is an automaton, a frozen statue thawed into life by Maria, the sunny wellspring of life and goodness.
Jaymes D. Goodman, a VOS stalwart, directs, with Stephanie Geehan overseeing choreography. All the ducks seem to be in order; there are charming dance sequences with the children and a simple yet appealing ballroom sequence. The proceedings do have a somewhat stiff and static quality, however. One would like to see the performers loosen up and have more winking fun with the show - something that may happen as the run progresses.
Someone who's already doing this is Douglas Crockett. He plays Max, the family friend who conducts the von Trapp choir and attempts to make life as pleasant as possible for himself. Crockett plays Max with an appealing tongue-in-cheek campiness. It suggests he knows the musical's premise is a rather lumbering, and that he's determined to liven it up. This added a welcome spark.
As Capt. Georg, Colin Grewar is solid and slightly mechanical. This works reasonably well in Act I, however, we never really believe his transformation from ice-man to lover. And while O'Connor sings rather well, there isn't a great deal of chemistry between her and Gre-war, something that makes their unlikely union seem, well ... even more unlikely.
That said, fans of The Sound of Music likely will find much to enjoy in this production. I defy you to leave without humming something like, "Doe, a deer, a female deer. ... "
