Say “The Sound of Music”, and most of us immediately think of the movie, Julie Andrews spinning on the vast green hills of the Alps, and the beautiful shots of Salzburg. The movie has become such a huge cultural phenomenon that it has overshadowed the musical from which it was derived. It is easy to forget that the story of the von Trapp family was told on the stage before it was shown on the silver screen. For most people, a production of “The Sound of Music” musical these days will inevitably be compared to the movie rather than previous stage performances. Despite having to contend with such a daunting measuring stick, however, the just-concluded production of “The Sound of Music” in Raleigh more than held its own.
We took in the Friday night, July 31, performance. With both the plot and the songs being such familiar subject matters, we were able to simply sit back and enjoy, and there was much to like:
- Kate Fisher did a terrific job as Maria, not only in her singing but also with her interpretation of the character, which was pretty similar to Julie Andrew’s portrayal in the movie.
- The von Trapp children, all played by kids from Raleigh, were adorable. The “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” number between Liesl and Rolf was very charming.
- The dance sequence between the captain and Maria, one of my favorite scenes since the first time I saw the movie, was pulled off very well in a small space, and the orchestra’s rendition of “Ländler” was perfect.
- The sets were very well designed, ranging from beautiful backdrops of the Alps to a simple but effective setup for the monastery.
- The biggest and most pleasant surprise of the night was the performance of the of nuns. The chorus wowed the audience time and again, while Suzanne Ishee (right), in her role as Mother Abbess, stole the show, brought down the house, and left a ringing in our ears with her rendition of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” just before intermission.
I did have a few nitpicking complaints, though most of them are about the differences between the musical and the movie versions rather than about the production of the musical:
- The movie made various plot tweaks, and I feel that those changes resulted in a better story than the original plot of the musical.
- In the musical, Maria sings “Do Re Mi” to the children basically right after she arrives at the family’s mansion, while in the movie the song doesn’t take place until later on — after she and the children have bonded. The musical’s plot feels more awkward on this point, as you have the children talking about their dislike of governesses one moment but then immediately warming up to Maria through the song.
- In the movie, the baroness makes Maria confront the fact that she’s in love with the captain, while in the musical, it was Brigitta, the captain’s daughter. The lines, however, just sound too worldly for a 10-year-old, however smart and observant she may be. In addition, having the baroness deliver those lines to Maria, which results in the latter leaving the mansion, adds to the tension between the characters.
- Captain von Trapp in the musical, played by Tom Galantich, lacked the subtle sense of humor that Christopher Plummer injected into the character in the movie. While the character in both versions is strict, Plummer’s version definitely displays a wry wit, even in the early parts of the movie, that makes his later transformation seem more plausible. The captain in the musical, however, is more or less a humor-less figure and comes off as kind of pompous. As a result, the alteration in his attitude feels forced.
- “No Way to Stop It”, the song performed by Max and the baroness, just didn’t seem to fit. Yes, part of it is probably because that song was removed in the movie version, but the song itself seemed out of place even in the musical, imparting an almost menacing feel and a more contemporary sound in contrast to the sweet and charming nature of the other numbers.