The Sound of Music at the Empress

Last night I went to the Empress Theatre for the first of three productions of The Sound of Music that I have scheduled this year.  Obviously I really love this show (although I actually prefer the 1965 movie starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer to the stage musical) and I had so much fun watching an aspiring nun sent to be the governess to the seven children of Captain von Trapp bring music back into his household.  I love every song (they are all so instantly recognizable and I really had to try hard not to sing along), particularly "The Sound of Music," "Maria," "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Edelweiss," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," and "Somthing Good."  Laura Strong, who plays Maria, has a really beautiful voice (although there were lots of problems with her microphone) and I really enjoyed her interactions with the von Trapp children, Liesl (Kimberly Allred), Friedrich (Sam Selcho), Louisa (Brynlee Dalton), Kurt (Bridger Dalton), Birgitta (Mabel Utley), Marta (Roux Carter), and Gretl (Daphne Carter).  All of these young actors do a wonderful job, especially in "The Lonely Goatherd" and "So Long, Farewell."  I wish that there had been more interaction between Strong and and Don Smith, as Captain von Trapp, because their romance seems to come out of nowhere but I think that is a problem with the show itself rather than the actors.  Kacee Mickelsen, as the Mother Abbess, and Morgan Hekking, as Baroness Schrader, are the other standouts from the cast because they both are very powerful (even though Mickelsen also had issues with her microphone).  I really enjoyed the choreography, especially the entrance of the nuns in the opening number and the interplay between Liesl and Rolf (Patrick Hawkins) in "Sixteen Going on Seventeen."  The entire space is utilized very effectively, especially the stairs and the areas behind the top row of seats which feature a beautiful mural of mountains (it felt like we were actually sitting in the middle of the Alps), and I particularly loved the final scene as the vop Trapps climb to freedom.  This is the most elaborate set I've seen at the Empress and I was quite impressed with both the abbey and the von Trapp mansion.  Community theatre can sometimes be very quirky but this show equals many professional productions I've seen.  My only complaints are the aforementioned issues with the microphones and some of the transitions run a bit long (all of which will probably be resolved as the run continues).  I highly recommend this show which runs through April 16 (go here for tickets).

Note:  There was a couple sitting across the stage from me who were very obviously the parents of one of the children.  They literally beamed every time the children were on stage and I thought that was so sweet!