A Tasty Chestnut | "The Sound of Music" @ 5-Star

When 5-Star announced their 2024 season, I wasn’t super excited. I knew I would subscribe and support them, because they are very important for the entertainment ecosystem of Ventura County, and have proven to be a wonderful starting ground for actors. But really? Million Dollar Quartet, The Sound of Music, and Little Shop of Horrors. All are shows that have been around a while; perhaps they create excitement in Ventura County, but I’m from Los Angeles County. But 5-Star is well known for nailing the execution, going back to their days as Cabrillo Music Theatre.

But really? The Sound of Music. What could I find of interest in this old chestnut? This is one of those shows where the movie musical that came afterwards has served to define (and in some senses straightjacket) the show. People expect a Julie Andrews performance; they expect the songs in the movie order. But I wanted more. As I went into the show, I was thinking: Could someone to a revisical: a reimagined production, along the lines of the recent Oklahoma (which we saw at the Ahmanson in 2022)? Could someone find a way to make people see this story in a new light; to find that inner bite that Rodgers and Hammerstein tend to have beneath the surface of their musicals? More on that in a few paragraphs; first, I want to talk about what made this production stand out.

The answer is: The performances. I was blown away by Shannon O’Boyle as Maria. Throughout the first act, I was blown away by her voice, her characterizations, her facial expressions, and how she interacted with and responded to the other cast members, especially the children. But what sold me on her was her performance of “Something Good”. She did something I love in a musical theatre performer: She brought to a song more than just a vocal performance. You could hear the happiness in her voice; you could hear the playfulness of her character. She reminded me, in many ways, of a young Sutton Foster: One of those unique performers that can bring personality to a song. O’Boyle does that, especially on songs like “The Lonely Goatherd”, the aforementioned “Something Good”, and even “Edelweiss”.

Also strong was Jon Root as Captain von Trapp. Although a bit young for the character (think: If the Captain has a 16 year old daughter and a strong Naval career, he’s got to be at least in his early 40s), his performance was spot on. A beautiful singing voice, but even more so for Root, watch his facial expressions and reactions. You can see them in “Something Good”, but equally well in “No Way to Stop It” and, notably, in his interactions with the children. 5-Star gets three AEA contracts per show, and they chose well for their two leads from the AEA pool.

Also notable, performance-wise, were the children. Hannah Sedlacek (Leisl) and Ivy Kaplowitz (Lousia) had lovely singing voices, and watching the interaction between Mikki Schwartz (Marta) and Ginny Cary (Gretl) was a delight. It was clear that this was all overwhelming for Cary—at times you could see her checking her dress, her hair, her shoes. She’s done things before, but not in such a large venue. But Schwartz was clearly there helping her through, guiding and providing reassurance. Now, this could all be an act from Cary (after all, she is an actress), but the relationship between the two youngest girls in the cast… indeed, the way all the children interacted with each other… cement the fact that this was a family on stage. This is best seen in “The Lonely Goatherd” as they pile on the bed, or “So Long Farewell”

As the show was starting and I was reading the program, II was wondering the logic about bringing this out again. But one answer is that The Sound of Music is a great stepping stone for actors. The characters are known, people know the story, and because of this the performance can shite. Cabrillo/5-Star is well known for its ability to find and promote talent (I think that’s why it is so heavily supported by donors). I still remember seeing a young Katherine McPhee in a 2005 CMT production of Annie Get Your Gun; many other actors have gotten their start in Cabillo/5-Star productions. So, even though this is such a well-known show, I urge you to go see it. The performances are what make this production special.

But now let’s turn our attention to the story. Although immensely popular, this clearly isn’t Rodgers & Hammerstein’s best work. It was the last show they did, and it is clear they were tired. There are far too many reprises of songs; a demonstration that they were stretching the music. The bite of the show is tempered by the main love story. Love stories are great, but they tend to be predictable and not have much depth. In particular, the antagonists in this love story really don’t pose much of a threat.

This begs the question: Is The Sound of Music  relevant today? Listening closely, it is. The situation presented in the show of the rise of Hitler and Germany in the backdrop of people that want to ignore it—of people who think they can just go with the flow and ride it out—has an eerie echo to the rise of Trumpian politics today. At one point in the second act, as the song “No Way to Stop It” is starting, the Captain questions whether there is any way to stop the Germans, whom he hate, from taking over his country? Austria may not have had that ability, but here in America we do have the one tool they didn’t have: The Ballot Box. This show is a reminder of what might happen if we don’t use the tools we have. We will have brainwashed legions enforcing their view of what we can think, of what we can say. It is clear from the messages in their shows—a hatred of racism, a hatred of indoctrination, a hatred of violence against women—that Rodgers and Hammerstein would have stood against Trump and his Project 2025 agenda. Could a timely revival of Sound of Music reinforce that message? It is an interesting thought.

WIth artists such as Stephen Sondheim, we see regular revivals of their works. Indeed, yet another revival of Gypsy hits the boards in 2024/2025 with Audra McDonald. The performances will surely be spectacular and Tonys will be won, but did we need another revival so soon? We need someone to do something similar with the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalog: Bring these shows back with a new vision and approach (as was done with Oklahoma): not changing the words or the songs, but present them in a way that brings out the bite and commentary that was already there, and enables audiences to see how subversive and forward thinking Rodgers and Hammerstein were. The last Broadway revival of Sound of Music was back in 1998. It is well overdue.

Mentioning the audience does highlight a continual problem 5-Star is having: Audience. We were there for the first Saturday night performance, and the Orchestra was half-full. We remember the days when Cabrillo/5-Star filled the Orchestra, Founders Circle, and Mezzanine, and about a quarter of the top balcony. Today, the balcony is closed, and Mezz. subscribers get Orchestra seats. Supposedly, the afternoon matinee had better attendance: old folks and children will do that, and afternoon shows draws those demographics. But this company will die if people don’t buy tickets. So tell your friends: They need to support regional professional theatres. They are a key training ground for our future acting stars, and production stars.

A few nits on the show. My wife noted that the nuns dress was done by someone who was clearly not Catholic, and who clearly didn’t know the standards nuns had in the 1940s. Wrinkled wimples, indeed. I was also less impressed by Christopher Karbo (Max) and Eleen Hsu-Wentlandt (Elsa). Their two duo songs just didn’t hit right, and they failed to bring their characters to life in the songs. They were fine in the non-musical areas, but their execution of those songs had some problems.

To summarize: The 5-Star production of The Sound of Music has one more performance this weekend, and 5 performances next week. For the performances alone, you should see this production. Beyond the performances, you should go in with an eye of finding something new in the story: in particular, see how the underlying political story echoes today’s time. Ask yourself what Rodgers and Hammerstein are saying and whether there is really “No Way To Stop It”. The Sound Of Music  continues through July 28. Tickets are available through the Kavli Box Office website.

One additional complaint about the Kavli itself, not 5-Star: Their security is overly draconian, and actively deters me from attending events at their venues. They enforce policies more restrictive than TSA: no water bottles, no wooden knitting needles, and they make you go back to your car if they find as much as a protein bar in your bag. Emptying your pockets and searching your bags. Perhaps security needs to be wearing the costumes of the people in the Austrian Concert hall. You know: the ones with the armbands. This is made worse when I compare it to other venues: The Ahmanson (another city-owned facility) does no bag searches. The Pantages has a simple metal detector, but you don’t need to empty pockets (but you still can’t bring in water bottles, although knitting is OK). I’ve been doing cybersecurity for 35+ years. The threat response needs to be appropriate for the threat. Thousand Oaks: You are not that level of threat target. Sure, check for guns and real weapons. But making someone (who is clearly mobility limited) walk back to their car for a protein bar? Not allowing knitting (what are they going to do? Stab you with a 2″ needle?)? That is overboard, and Thousand Oaks clearly needs to get over itself. We need to make it clear that their overly restrictive policies will deter people from attending shows at their venues.

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The Sound of Music. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Book by Howard Linsay & Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. Directed by Richard Israel. Choreography by Christopher Albrecht.

Cast: Shannon O’Boyle ^AEA Maria Rainer; Jon Root ^AEA Captain Georg von Trapp; Cathy Newman ^AEA Mother Abbess; Brody Tarrant Sitton Rolf Gruber; Christopher Karbo Max Detweiler; Dana Shaw Frau Schmidt; Daniel Stromfeld Ensemble; Dia Day Brigitta von Trapp; Eleen Hsu-Wentlandt Elsa Schraeder; Elias De Paula Kurt von Trapp; Jack Cleary Herr Zeller; Georgia Besnillian Ensemble; Ginny Cary Gretl von Trapp; Hannah Sedlacek Liesl von Trapp; Ivy Kaplowitz Louisa von Trapp; Jackson Murrieta Ensemble; Jason Whitton Baron Elberfeld, Ensemble; Jennifer Teague Baroness Elberfeld, Ensemble; Jonah Meyer Ensemble; Lauren Han Ensemble; Martha Thatcher Sister Margaretta; Melissa Musial Ursula, Ensemble; Mikki Schultz Marta von Trapp; Mollie Navarro Sister Sophia; Paul McCrillis Admiral von Schreiber; Sadé Ayodele Sister Berthe; Tudor Munteanu Franz; Zander Chin Friederich von Trapp.

Music Department: Anthony Lucca Music Director & Conductor; Darry Tanikawa Orchestra Contractor. Orchestra: Rhondda Dayton Flute, Piccolo; Ian Dahlberg Oboe, English Horn; Darryl Tanikawa Clarinet 1; Gary Rautenberg Clarinet 2; Melissa Hendrickson Horn 1; Jennifer Bliman Horn 2; Bill Barrett Trumpet 1; Chris Maurer Trumpet 2; June Satton Trombone 1; Matt Evans Trombone 2, Tuba; Sharon Cooper Violin 1 (concertmaster); Laurel Diskin Violin 2; Eugene Mechtovich Viola; Bang-Eunn Lee Cello; Charlie Ferguson String Synthesizer; Chris Kimbler Keyboard Synthesizer; Shane Harry Acoustic Double String Bass; Alan Peck Set Drums. The program had no credit for orchestrations.

Production and Creatives: Brandon Baruch Lighting Design; Jonathan A. Burke Sound Design; Kenneth Foy Scenery Design; Pittsburgh CLO Scenery and Props; Tuacahn Costume Rentals Costumes; Luis Martinez Wig, Hair and Makeup Design; Alex Choate Prop Design, Crew Chief; Chris Steele & Gail Garon Costume Coordination; Cameron J. Turner ^AEA Production Stage Manager; Talya Camras Asst. Stage Manager; E. K. Dagenfield Production Manager; Jack Allaway Technical Director; David Elzer/Demand PR Press Representative; Fresh Interactive Marketing; Michael Donovan Casting – Michael Donovan ^CSA and Richie Ferris ^CSA Casting; Julia Pinhey Assoc. Sound Design; Gavin Higa Sound Mixer.

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Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

• July: ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
• August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♣ Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.
• September: ♦ Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Randy Newman’s Faust ⊕ at The Soraya
• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.
• November: ♦ Back to the Future: The Musical at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; possibly ♦ Fiddler on the Roof ⊕ at La Mirada PAC; ♦ La Cage Aux Folles at Pasadena Playhouse; possibly Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ⊕ at Maverick Theatre

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Patrick Page will be bringing All the Devils Are Here to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in April 2025. Looks interesting.

 

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as A Tasty Chestnut | "The Sound of Music" @ 5-Star by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.