The first time I saw “The Sound of Music” movie version, I didn’t really see it.
In 1965, my brother and I accompanied my mother to the Mesa Movie Theater to see “The Sound of Music,” but after buying our tickets and entering the theater, we could not find a seat, so we left as Julie Andrews was belting the iconic opening number on the screen.
Years later I did finally see “The Sound of Music,” and it left an impression on me, as did Juie Andrews.
In 2015, I watched Lady Gaga perform a medley from “The Sound of Music” at the 87th Academy Awards to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic 1965 film and as a tribute to Julie Andrews, who watched from the wings as Lady Gaga showcased her vocal range and honored the classic musical. She received a standing ovation and a tearful hug from Andrews.
Last month, I attended “The Sound of Music” sing-along screening at the Lido Theater, a fundraiser for Voices Alive and Men Alive. It reminded me that the Academy Award-winning film has remained as popular as ever.
Fans of the film may not realize that “The Sound of Music” screen version is based upon the original 1959 Broadway production that starred Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. There have been tens of thousands of productions of the stage musical worldwide, with over 500 professional, amateur and school productions each year in North America alone.
Local audiences are in for a treat: the touring stage production of “The Sound of Music” is going to fill Segerstrom Center for the Arts with the sound of music June 2 through 14.
For those unfamiliar with the show, “The Sound of Music” features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 book” The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” by Maria von Trapp.
Set in Austria on the eve of the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany on March 12, 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German Navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria concoct a plan to flee Austria with the children.
Many well-known songs from the musical have become standards, including “Do-Re-Mi”, “My Favorite Things”, “Edelweiss”, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”, and the title song “The Sound of Music.”
According to “The Sound of Music” director Jack O’Brien, “This marvelous company of brilliant new interpreters — Cayleigh Capaldi as Maria, fresh from her recent triumph in the West End, Kevin Earley as the Captain, the brilliant Christiane Noll as the Mother Abbess, Nicholas Rodriguez as Max, Detweiler, Kate Loprest as Elsa Schraeder, Ariana Ferch as Liesl von Trapp, and Ian Coursey as Rolf Gruber — bringing a new perspective, as well as an astonishingly original interpretation to one of our most beloved works, now seen in the individual light of today.”
For tickets and more information, visit www.SCFTSA.org.
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