Surrounded by rolling hills and forests, Blossom Music Center provided the perfect setting for The Sound of Music on Saturday September 3. The Akron Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andy Einhorn, and the Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre Program, directed by Victoria Bussert, collaborated over the weekend to bring Broadway’s classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical back to life.
Even though it debuted on Broadway in 1959, and the Julie Andrews film came in 1965, the musical remains fresh (and relevant). Director Bussert led guest artists and gifted students in a music-first, bare-bones stage production with vocalists (and action) placed onstage just in front of the orchestra.
I for one never missed the scenery because when I might have, I just looked at the surrounding slopes and trees. Video screens sprinkled around were also a great help with close-ups during dramatic scenes. Fine acting blended one situation naturally into another, and if the second act rushed a bit to close the play, I blame R & H and not the singers who didn’t make me doubt that they were sincere.
No songs — or so it seemed — were omitted as one beloved classic melody after another filled our ears. It was difficult not to sing along to favorites such as “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “The Sound of Music,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “So Long, Farewell,” and (my favorite yodel) “The Lonely Goatherd.”
Lauren Senden’s lovely and spunky Maria was unforgettable. She made us rejoice about the world’s beauty as she sang “the hills are alive with the sound of music,” learned how to sing along with the children (“Do-Re-Mi”), and smiled when she found love where she didn’t expect it. Captain von Trapp didn’t stand a chance, although it took him a while to realize it. (Hey, it’s an old story, but one worth repeating.)
Distinguished guest artists Ana María Martínez (as a lyric and spirited Mother Abbess) and Nathaniel Stampley (as the valiant and later, quite romantic) Captain Georg von Trapp proved perfect support for the von Trapp family as they faced challenges both personal and political.
Baldwin Wallace seniors Andie Peterson (as cynical socialite Elsa Schraeder) and Will Boone (as self-interested stage promoter Max Detweiler) convincingly portrayed citizens caught in the politics swiftly changing pre-World War II Austria. Mark Doyle played messenger Rolf Gruber, Liesel’s first crush and ultimate savior.
The children, listed from oldest to youngest, were played by Hanako Walrath (Liesl), Danny Bó (Friedrich), Marta Marie Minarik (Louisa), Max Dunham (Kurt), Esme Page (Brigitta), Olivia Green (Marta), and Parker Towns (Gretl). They were all adorable and cavorted onstage as if they’d been acting all their lives (which they may all end up doing — certainly BW students Walrath and Bó seem well on their way.)
Let us also praise the women’s chorus members who played the nuns — first heard only as harmonious voices rising from behind the orchestra. When they appeared, over two dozen strong, they filled the stage. Seen or unseen, the chorus provided essential support and even though some didn’t look as if their dedication to the nunnery would last very long, their vocal skills were impressive.
Others who helped create stage magic included Harrison Roth and Nancy Maier, associate music directors; Tesia Dugan Benson, costume designer and Krista Tomorowitz, assistant; Lauren Tidmore, choreographer; Jack-Anthony Ina, production stage manager with Sarah Daniel as assistant.
Bottom Line: OK, yes, it’s trite observation, but it’s also a true one: The hills were indeed alive with the sound of music. It was a fantastic end to the Blossom Music Festival 2022.