Paper Mill’s revival of “Sound of Music” is everything that you remember, and with new freshness sprinkled in like diamond-dust snow. There is all of the music and entanglements, and so much more!
Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director, helms this production with Kenny Ingram providing choreography. Meghann Zervoulis Bate directed the orchestra and James Fouchard’s scene design and Rose window at Nonnberg Abbey, especially, are breathtaking. The story is still as salient today as it was when it first debuted, as so many freedoms are still endangered.
Ashley Blanchet’s Maria is respectful of authority, expecially venerating the Reverend Mother (Cáitlín Burke) but a bit rebellious when it comes to rules that, for her, require questioning. Her youthful exuberance has her dancing and singing where silence should reign. Reverend Mother decides to send her to the Von Trapp family, whose semi-unruly children may mean Maria has met her match. Sure enough, she has. Blanchet’s Maria is barely restrained fire and energy and the youthful joie de vivre is the perfect antidote for the 21 st century headlines outside. She helps us all remember what it is like to be a child, even as the young woman in her falls for the dashing Captain Von Trapp (Graham Rowat).
Alas, when they meet, he is engaged to be engaged to the pragmatic and icily beautiful Baroness, Elsa Schraeder (Emily Boromeo). When the Baroness and the louche and unctuous Max Detweiler (Gavin Lee) sing “How Can Love Survive”, it has a spectral feel, a foretelling of sorts. There are so many touches that make this revival special and familiar, all at the same time.
When the Captain decides to throw the first party in the house in quite some time, the children get a chance to shine. And oh, the magic of the Captain and Maria discovering their connection in a moment while folk dancing is palpable. That frisson of energy ripples throughout the theatre.
The children, Liesl (Analise Scarpaci), Friedrich (Coleman Simmons), Louisa (Jacey Sink), Kurt (Cody Braverman), Brigitta (Tara Rajan), Marta (Austin Elle Fisher) and Gretl (Charlotte Sydney Harrington) share a one-ness that is truly special. They are not truly siblings, but sing together in a blend that is carefully crafted – they sound like a family. And that is just part of the magic in this production.
Special mention to the sacred-esque music in the show – the harmony of the Abbey dwellers was truly Divine and Ms. Burke’s “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” brought tears to my eyes. The beauty was transcendent, and the choral lushness of the wedding music is truly a match for that Rose window.
Walking up to the Paper Mill Playhouse in the frosty air, remember that there is water running close by – making cold feel more acute, makes it feel like Somewhere Else. Heading in to a story about Austria, this is a subtle way to set the scene. Once inside, the warmth of the staff and ushers is most welcome.
"Sound of Music” is playing through January 1, 2023. Visit papermill.org NOW for the best Holiday experience for family and friends.