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Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
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Bellevue alive with The Sound of Music |
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| Bellevue alive with The Sound of Music | ||
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by Miryam Gordon -
SGN A&E Writer The Sound of Music The Attic Theatre Meydenbauer Center Theater Through September 23 Book, script and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Directed by Jane Reinhardt You've heard that expression, "You've seen the movie, now go read the book." Well, you've seen the movie, now go see the play. The Sound of Music is being produced by The Attic Theatre at their new performance space at Meydenbauer Center. It's a great space to visit and see theater in and a comfortable size - not too near, not too far - from the stage. All the familiar songs will be sung, including two songs you've probably never heard before, which are part of the original script, but were cut for the movie. They're not the best songs you've ever heard, so they probably made the right decision to cut them out for the movie, but Director Jane Reinhardt wanted to preserve the original production and is including them for ?that reason. Recapping the story almost everyone is sure to know, it's Austria on the eve of the German occupation and a young nun is sent to be nanny to seven difficult children and a very Austria-patriotic Captain in the Navy. The Captain falls in love with the nun, the nun falls in love with the Captain, the nun struggles whether to leave the abbey, and of course, she finally does. The family is threatened by the Germans' plan to induct the Captain into the German army and so, flees Austria by hiking out over the Alps. This is actually a wonderful, true story, and you can read about it, too, in a book about the Von Trapp Family Singers. They really did hike out of Austria over the mountains, with just the clothes on their backs. Oh, did I mention they sing? A lot. The seven children, led by Elisa Pupko as Liesl, the eldest, continuing with Zachary Barr (Friedrich), Bailey Gibart (Louisa), Kaija Stern (Brigitta), Bryan Hanner (Kurt), Lauren Carlos (Marta) and Kennedy Miller (Gretl), sing their hearts out, with all the do, re, mis you could want. They are all talented young people who could keep very busy in theater if they choose. The heart of the musical is Maria, the nun, played with a soaring voice by Maggie Brothers. Her voice is effortless and lovely. Her acting is sweet and convincing, especially for the song, "Confidence," where she gathers her courage to approach her new job. Matching her performance is Mark Reinhardt as Captain von Trapp. This pivotal male role needs to show us why people snap to attention when he commands, and Reinhardt has just the combination of discipline and patriotism to make us believe it. There are a lot of nuns who sing, and these nuns sound beautiful. The harmonies soared easily throughout the Meydenbauer space, and were some of my favorite moments of the show. It's a big cast with a number key supporting roles, such as Donna Austin as the Baroness who wants to marry the Captain and Roger Wilson as Max, the society hanger-oner. Austin shows her comic timing to advantage, along with a pleasing voice. While the movie might seem just a good family film, the play is punctuated by important jarring moments of German intrusion. Real German uniforms and flags bring a touch of history to life. The climax of the family's escape is affecting and tense. The message of sacrificing to stay free from government coercion resonates in today's society, as well. This is a solid effort and an enjoyable production. Kids, from about 6 and up, will probably like it, too. For more information, go to www.theattictheatre.org or call 425-985-8608. |
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