Von Trapps take the stage at NLT

Lynn Mann

Published Sunday, May 18, 2008

Greetings, Natchez and the Miss-Lou!

Natchez Little Theatre’s successful Diamond Jubilee 60th Season concludes with the award winning Rogers and Hammerstein musical, “The Sound of Music.”

With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, The Sound of Music is based on the book “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Von Trapp and is produced by special arrangement with Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatre Library.

The original production of “The Sound of Music” starred Mary Martin as Maria, opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Nov. 16, 1959, and ran for 1,443 performances.

It won numerous Tony awards including Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical.

It would prove to be the final musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The film adaptation also won the Oscar for Best Film and starred Julie Andrews as Maria.

We all know the beloved story that takes place in the town of Salzburg, Austria, where Maria, a woman studying for the Roman Catholic sisterhood in a convent, is sent out to be a governess to the seven children of Captain von Trapp, a widower and a decorated World War I captain in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Von Trapp is also an Austrian patriot at a time when it is safer to be friendly to the ascendant Nazi regime.

The children, initially hostile and mischievous, soon come to like Maria, so she teaches them how to sing and finds herself falling in love with the stern Captain, who is engaged to be married to Baroness Elsa Schräder.

He too finds himself warming to the young governess.

After winning the children’s hearts by teaching the family the joy of song, and after some soul searching by Maria and misunderstandings fostered by the Baroness, Maria leaves the convent and marries the Captain.

Maria and the Captain arrange for the family to escape, after a family concert, through the convent and over the mountains to Switzerland so that the Captain does not have to serve in the Kriegsmarine of the Third Reich.

“The Sound of Music” is directed by Tommy Jackson with musical direction by Jodie Wright.

The show includes songs not in the film version.

The musicians for the production are Jodie Wright and Burnley Cook on piano, Dr. Robert Sizemore on bass and George Piazza on percussion. Tommy Jackson will conduct and designed the sets with construction assistance from Leon Hollins III, Lynn Mann and Don Vesterse. Costumes are by Sandra Stokes of San-Jays Creations.

The cast includes Darlene McCune as Maria; Chris Cavette as Captain von Trapp; Giovanna Little, Aaron White, Randa Morace, Rudy Timm, Karley Kyzar, Camille Taylor and Katie Borum as the von Trapp children; Gabrielle Richardson as the Mother Abbess; Layne Taylor as Max Detweiler; Laurie Williams as Elsa Schraeder and Landon Henry as Rolf Gruber.

The remainder of this large and talented cast includes Casey Gilbert, Katherine Timm, Nicole Ballard, Courtney Taylor, Marylee Williams, Geraldine Berkhart-Geyen, Janey Dixey, Tammye Dixey, Jaylin Gibson, Arlana Hargrave, Kristen Hogans, Par Morace, Michelle Tarver, Danielle Thornton, Aubrey Timm, Merisha Townsend, Carly Tristler, Jake Banks, Moe LeBlanc, Dwight Williams, Stacey Carden, Derek LeBlanc, Cain Madden Tony Lapekas and Don Vesterse.

“The Sound of Music” runs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 29 through 31, and closes at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1.

All tickets are $15 and should be reserved in advance by calling NLT at 601-442-2233, toll free at 1-877-440-2233, by e-mail at natchez@bellsouth.net or online at www.natcheztheatre.com.

During The Sound of Music Natchez Little Theatre 60th Season Members will be electing the 61st Season Board of Directors, so make your reservations now!

I look forward to seeing you at NLT’s “The Sound of Music.”

Lynn Mann is the Natchez Little Theatre’s vice president of production.