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Frankly, I was dreading Performance Riverside's production of The Sound of Music. The day was cold and an early rain was dripping out of a leaden sky. Worse--the first two shows I'd seen them do had their share of problems. Still, we had the tickets so I was going to use them. Still, a Rogers and Hammerstein show is hard to screw up so I hoped for the best.
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And, really, The Sound of Music has it all--memorable (yet very singable) songs, a sweet, brave story (suitable for the entire family) a passle of cute kiddies and an easy-to-follow plot. What more could you ask from a show? Yes, you have to have skilled singers on stage and a good pit orchestra to send the show to the stratosphere (but luckily this show has that in spades). From start to finish your ears are in for a real treat.
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Cassandra Murphy as Maria brings back fond memories of Julie Andrews in the same role. She's a pretty girl with a big smile and has the strong voice and winsome charm that couldn't fail to entrance even the hardest-hearted old curmudgeon. John LaLonde as Baron von Trapp has a fine tenor voice but I found his characterizatiosn maybe a bit too extreme. (Still the script requires him to go from grump to mushy love in a matter of pages and he carries it off.) As the Mother Abbess, Renee Jensen brings a kiler soprano and a gentle sternness to her role. She leads a "nun chorus" of 20 (not counting the three Sisters with speaking roles). The chorus (which shows up several times in the show) gives a performance that is nothing short of spectacular. (Six part classical music perfectly sung acapella--in the aisles no less! is a truly wonderous sight to behold.) The remaineder of the cast serves their roles adequately to very well.
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As for the children, Kristina Brown (as Liesel) is a delightful inginue although I found Michael Milligan's Rolf rather less than believeable. (Still, he's far and away the best dancer in the cast and he gets a brief chance to shine in one number.) As Friedrich, Jordan Gomez seems a bit old for the part but he sings well enough in the ensemble. Berlynn Milliken brings the right mix of pluck and sweetness to the part of Brigitta but Taylor Snow (Marta) and Tayler Lynch (Louisa) get a bit lost in the crowd. Young Tyler Jenkins forgot his words in one solo but he kept right on going in character and never let it phase him or the audience. (God job, boyo!) Last, but certainly not least, youngest child Gretl (Rena M. Madura) is cute as a bug.
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Yes, there are a few problems with this production: some accents are frankly less than perfect (and one or two actors don't even bother trying for an accent). The pacing of the show is fine but scenes are a bit jerky (the fault of the script not the production). Several minutes (and at least one song reprise) have been cut from the original script (to bring it more in line with the movie version) but I didn't find it at all troubling. The sets were minimal but not minimalist and of a much higher quality than what I've seen in past shows here. Still, considering the problems with sound mixing (among other issues) this show has really raised the quality-bar for Performance Riverside. Robyn and I thoroughly enjoyed the show but our friend Mary Lou Andrews had more problems with the production than we did. (Still, you'll have to find a review she wrote to see what she thoughtt.) As for me, (like I said in the title) this is pretty close to a perfect musical for the entire family. GO SEE IT!
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FINAL GRADE: A
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