I go to the theatre, when my heart is lonely. I know I will hear what I’ve heard before. And my heart will be blessed with The Sound of Music… and I’ll review once more! Bel Air, Maryland may not exactly be the hills or the mountains, but Phoenix Festival Theater (currently across the street in the Amoss Center at Harford Technical High School) will bless your heart and your ears with Rogers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Directed by Cathy Koncurat, with Musical Direction by Trey Pope, and Choreography by Karlie Burnham, this iconic heartwarming and heart-rending story of The von Trapp Family is truly lively and beautifully sung.
Producer Beverly Whaley is taking full advantage of the temporary venue shift, and filling the grandiose stage space of the Amoss Center with some lavish backgrounds, coordinated and constructed around by Set Designer Mark Koncurat. The stained glass over-archway and swooping cathedral halls are so lavish that one almost thinks they might be too grand for that little abbey in Nuremberg. (It’s easily a forgivable oversite as the backdrops and side-drops are so striking in their beauty and blended so beautifully against the superb singing talents of the cast.) The von Trapp household is elegant and tasteful in its lavish egg-yolk yellows, golden-mustard accent furniture, and dueling staircases that sweep off in two directions. The stunner is of course the replica ‘hill and mountain’ that looks nearly identical to the iconic scene from the 1965 Julie Andrews’ film. Lighting Designer Brad Paulsen and Technical Director David Lasky pull the stage’s aesthetic together nicely and the overall look of the production is very impressive.
Of course the pacing in a seemingly endless Rogers & Hammerstein show is critical. (R&H can’t help it; they were a product of their time. Be thankful for the small favor that The Sound of Music does not contain a dream ballet!) Director Cathy Koncurat runs a tight ship with Stage Manager Kody Coudon as her first mate. There’s hardly ever any darkness or standing still, one scene flows fluidly and seamlessly into the next, curtains and flies operating with ease and expedience. This really helps keeps the focus on the action and the beautiful music of the show. Koncurat has delicately sprinkled little moments in the production as well— like the postulants and novices tittering their way to see Maria in her wedding dress, with some of the more senior nuns standing by in solemn judgement…only to have the more senior nuns start tittering and giggling once the younger nuns are out of earshot. There’s also the striking moment when Maria flees back to the Abbey- and intentionally leaves her guitar behind in the von Trapp household. It’s little details like that which really ground the performance as something unique and not just your run-of-the-mill production.
Of course where the true brilliance of this production lies is in the fact that the show’s two biggest stumbling blocks (having nuns who can blend not only harmoniously but angelically and having children who can sing, on key and on command) are non-existent. Musical Director Trey Pope has masterfully commanded vocal resplendence from the entire performing cast. When the nuns first perform the “Preludium” you could easily swear you were in a high Catholic mass at the Vatican, they sound so serene and pious. (And that grandiose backdrop just furthers that notion!) And when the children first melt out of their ill-tempers and right into Marai’s smiling heart, you’d be amazed at how wondrous they sound in song together. Poper not only manages vocal perfection with the production, he gets an orchestra pit that’s truly on their game. There are very few moments where they have to vamp for cover, and when they do its subtle. Pope and his pit (Rachel Butera- reed1, Amy Nines- reed2, Lindsay Evans- reed3, Brain Rodriguez- trumpet, Nathan Scavilla- trombone/horn, Mike DeZearn- horn, Joshua Baker- bass, Billy Georg- percussion, Matthew Peterson- piano, Jarret Rettman- synth) really add a level of professionalism to the production as a whole.
While there isn’t a whole lot of dancing, at least not in the big splashy tap or kick-line fashion the way lots of musicals are these days, choreographer Karlie Burnham finds little spots to add some enthusiastic movements, particularly when it comes to choreographing the children all through “Do Re Mi”, “The Lonely Goatheard” and both renditions of “So Long, Farewell.” There’s some lovely period-appropriate dancing at the house party as well as a delightfully flirtatious little dance-routine shared between Rolf and Liesl during “Sixteen Going On Seventeen.”
Costumes are equal parts exquisite and unique to this production. Like any good production of The Sound of Music, the ‘hideous’ fabric on Maria’s window in her bedroom does match exactly the play clothes that the children later appear in, as well as her own dress. And when Maria returns to the von Trapp’s, she is wearing the same dress as the ‘new postulant.’ (Little details like this nail home the professionalism being serviced by the production staff.) The party dresses are the showstopper, particularly one floor-length black sparkle dress with crisscrossing back hatches on an ensemble-party-goer. And the children’s dresses are as lovely as their play-clothes are silly, as their naval uniforms are rigid. Costumers Joyce Williams and Brenda Kinzinger are to be commended on their fine work.
With an ensemble chock-a-block full of people, director Cathy Koncurat puts them all to good use, bringing all of the nuns in for the final chorus of “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” and having just enough paired off guests at the party. And the ensemble (Amanda Beanblossom, Lucia Beanblossom, Nicole Bennett, Christa Bohdel, JJ DeVoe, Mark Gallihue, Suzi Gallihue, Marni Hansel, Mariastel King, Matthew King, Mark Koncurat, Katri Lein, Peter Lein, Theresa Lydon, Kaya McClelland, James Meadows, Sunshine Mears, Peter Robertson, Abigail Standish, Brittany Stronski, Julianna Vendetti, Kaitlyn Wisell) make these group number sound hearty, robust, and literally fill the house with the sounds of their lovely, lovely music.
It’s hard to imagine such levity and gaiety in a production that is essentially a slippery slope that ends in dangerous and perilous circumstances. But then the character of Max Detweiler is written to be something of a comic relief, albeit a cowardly one. Of course, introduce Eric Bray Jr. to the role and you’ve got lots to chuckle over because his antics are purely sublime. While sounding just a touch modern and ahead of his time (again easily a thing to overlook when he’s delivering such a solid performance otherwise), Bray Jr., is a real riot in the role, playing the hapless freeloader who makes his mooching sound beneficial to those he’s mooching off of. Charming in that feckless and spineless sort of way, watching him shillyshally through “The Lonely Goatheard (Reprise)”, physically tripping over himself to amuse the children, and then exhausting himself in the process is delightful. And the antics he gets up to with Elsa both during “How Can Love Survive?” and “No Way to Stop It” are simply hysterical.
As Elsa Schraeder, Jillian Victoria is worldly without coming across as haughty. Her well-seasoned voice is perfectly situated for both of her numbers, and her interactions with Georg von Trapp are well-metered and perfectly paced. Her perfect moment on stage is at the end of her interaction with Maria in the first act, when Maria says “I’ll pray for you.” The look— with annoyed-raised-singular-eyebrow glaring off of Victoria’s face is perfection. She flits carefree through her half of “No Way to Stop It” and rouses as much energy and enthusiasm as Bray Jr.’s Max Detweiler during “How Can Love Survive?” Though she starts off dressed down in a white blouse and pretty skirt, by the time they reach the house party, she’s a glittering vision in sparkly ballgown glory.
Possibly the cameo character with the most growth and noticeable shift is Rolf Gruber (Corbin Peacock.) Silly and simple when first flirting with Leisl, he takes on a much darker tone and personality in a hurry. Peacock does have that beautiful moment where he tells Liesl to remember what he said, so that his payoff in the cemetery just at the end of the production feels earned rather than scripted. And of course the household where Rolf delivers the telegraphs wouldn’t function without Franz (Sean Silence) and Frau Scmidt (Barbara Kasecamp.) While the former appears every time there is a telephone call, the latter tends to have a more pronounced presence. Kasecamp’s German accent is solid, her frankness— particularly when telling Maria how the household is run— is crisp, and the striking contrast is the maternal care and interest she shows with little Gretl, constantly shielding her whenever the pair are in scene together. It’s very sweet.
While we mentioned a great many of the nuns (all those ladies in the ensemble, practically) there are four principal, ‘named’ nuns who standout. Sisters Berthe, Margaretta, and Sophia (played by Sara Ulrich, Megan Koncurat, and Lizzy Jackson-Fleishmann, respectively) are the three who accent the Mother Abbess (LaShelle Bray) during “Maria.” Ulrich is good at being stern, playing older than her years, while Koncurat and Jackson-Fleishmann are more of the bubbly, supportive nun type. LaShelle Bray as Mother Abbess is a true treat. Her glorious, resonant voice does divine justice to “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” And there’s even this sense of nostalgic recollection when she sings “My Favorite Things”, proving that it is a song that simply must be sung at the top of one’s voice.
Head of the von Trappe household, Jamin Mears as Georg von Trapp is somewhat of a textbook leading man (though he sounds to be singing in somewhat higher of a range than the role is written for, he does so in a way that sounds nice.) A bit soft spoken at times, and very standoffish and aloof, Mears make the Captain nearly unapproachable and yet just reachable…if you’re the right person. Watching his reaction to Max and Elsa and their respective dueling antics during “How Can Love Survive?” and again in “No Way To Stop It” is truly a highlight. At first just slightly amused by their nonsense, like a silliness that though annoying he can tolerate, you see Mears shift gears by the time the pair get to their second song, and his tolerance has evaporated and it shows in his body language and facial expressions. His rendition of “Edelweiss” is also quite sweet.
At this performance the von Trapp family children were filled out by the Roses cast. At alternating performances the von Trapp family children are filled out by the Raindrops* cast. In the Roses cast, the roles of the von Trapp children— Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, Gretl (played by Bella Comotto, Aaron Johnson, Lilah Fodel, Andrew Lorandeau, Whitney Sams, Savannah Thompson, and Hazel Thompson, respectively) are just an exuberant ball of delightful glee. Except of course when they’re militant (before the arrival of Maria) and dyspeptic (during the departure of Maria.) When they sing, they sing in full voice and with incredible blending capability. They don’t sound like a bunch of kids singing, they sound like a bunch of young professionals performing musical theatre, and yet still possess the enthusiasm and joy of a bunch of kids singing.
Hazel Thompson, as the family’s youngest, is just so gosh darn cute, it defies description, especially when she’s just staring around, doing that thing that five-year-old’s do. Savannah Thompson, as Marta, and Lilah Fodel, as Louisa, are particularly adorable during the thunderstorm scene in Maria’s room. Fodel’s pretty sound is also featured when the children are singing “The Sound of Music” before Georg finally joins in. You’ve got the boys, Aaron Johnson and Andrew Lorandeau, who come skid-racing into Maria’s room during the storm as well; their comic timing is perfection. And you get to hear Johnson’s falsetto sustained notes during the first “So Long, Farewell.” As the mouthy and yet matter-of-fact Brigitta, Whitney Sams is most memorable, particularly when she’s telling it like it is, as the character is often doing. As the eldest, Bella Comotto brings a juvenile sweetness, balanced with that hint of maturity, and a tiny sprinkle of ‘angsty-attitude’ to role of Liesl. She gets to sing the call-n-response with Maria during “The Lonely Goatheard” and it’s a great showcase of her vocal capabilities. Of course, you really get to hear this stunning girl’s voice shining in all its radiance during “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” (where you might find it difficult to believe that she’s actually only 16 as her voice sounds so mature and well-versed.) What’s more is Comotto’s facial expressions and body language fully explore that character’s emotions and feelings. Watch how she responds and reacts to pretty much everyone around her, it creates a strong and unique relationship with each of the characters, particularly when she’s hanging on Maria’s every word during the “Sixteen/Seventeen (Reprise).”
As for Maria (Abby Koncurat) you’re getting a Rita Hayworth style beauty, repressed into modesty with a Julie Andrews adjacent voice. And a strong, slightly modern, sense of anger and trail-blazingness whenever it is that she needs someone to understand she means business. Like when she tells of Georg about not knowing his children. All of her moments of solo song are winsome and lyrical, particularly the iconic “The Sound of Music.” It’s almost like Koncurat is embodying and channeling some sort of whimsical fire sprite. The von Trapp family is frozen— by their formidable father, who is frozen by his grief from the loss of his wife— and she sweeps in like a dervish out of whirl and just melts them. With her wondrous singing and sweet disposition and earnest, open heart. Her delivery of “I Have Confidence” is a study in how a Rogers & Hammerstein ingenue sings a Rogers & Hammerstein ‘girl-power’ ballad. Full of the joys of the sound of music, Maria Rainer is the perfect fit for Abby Koncurat.
The hills are alive with The Sound of Music but for four performances only! Do not miss this special chance to see a very impressive production of this classic musical this September. a
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission
The Sound of Music plays through September 17th 2023 with Phoenix Festival Theater, a part of LIVE! At Harford Community College— currently at Amoss Center— 200 Thomas Run Road in Bel Air, MD. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 443-412-2211 or purchasing them in advance online.
Raindrops Cast:
Liesl (Daisy Mears), Friedrich (Ethan Buttman), Louisa (Autumn Ferguson), Kurt (Finnegan Ferguson), Brigitta (Emily Benner), Marta (Kalliope Ferguson), Gretl (Eloise Lader)
