The Sound of Music- Clio Cast & Crew, Inc

The Sound of Music - Clio Cast and Crew

By Laura Anne Miller

The Sound of Music is the story of a wayward postulant nun, Maria (Kaitlyn Honnen), who is not quite ready to join the abbey. Mother Abbess(Jennifer Harris) sends her to work as a governess for the von Trapp family, composed of seven children (Selah Rice, Malachi Kittell, Alexandria Hyatt, Martin Schellhas, Regan Wray, Soffia Miller, and Sophia Hopper) and their overly strict father, the Captain (Alex Vokoun), who are all dealing with grief from the passing of the unnamed mother. Maria brings joy and more importantly, music, to the family, bringing the family together. Scared by her feelings for the Captain and torn by her desire to join the abbey, Maria runs away. Mother Abbess encourages Maria to return and accept the opportunities she has. The Captain and Maria fall in love and get married. Upon returning from their honeymoon, the Captain discovers that he has been summoned to Germany. This story is set in Austria in 1938 when the world is on the brink of World War II and people are declaring their alliances. Unwilling to bow to the Third Reich, the Captain and Maria must escape with their family to Switzerland, where they will be safe. They use their newfound love of singing as a cover for their escape.

This Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is based on a true story and is also an award winning movie. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the release of the Disney movie of the same name. 

The set was very interesting, with multiple levels, which added more motion to the set. When Liesel (Selah Rice) and Rolf (Ryan Brown) sing the beloved Sixteen Going on Seventeen, the tiers allow for more movement and dimension. Different regions of the set were used as different parts of the Sound of Music world instead of having to build individual sets for each part. Simple but consistent furniture was moved to different parts of the stage to indicate what location they were in.

 (Design: Sally Eilersen, Construction: Elizabeth Dupuis, Building: Madeline Speed, Jennifer Kittell, Malachi Kittell, Penelope Hoolihan, Frederick Rynbrandt, Nikolas Conrad, Yvonne McCarty, Marley Anderson, August Jones, Adam Iaquinto)

At the top of the set were four rotating panels with different paintings on each side. This allowed for more locations to be indicated without having to actually build a physical set for all the locations. The panels were beautifully painted (Madyson Green, Frank Conrad, Kaitlyn Honnen, Penelope Hoolihan). One side had mountains painted while another was painted to match the rest of the set and looked like wallpaper. There was a portrait of the Captain and a portrait of the children. The third side had gates and stone looking walls painted on it to indicate the abbey. It was a very clever use of the small stage space.

Set in 1938 Austria, this play has certain expectations as to what the characters would be wearing. The costumes were beautifully done. The costumers (Dennis Swedorski, Ramona Russell, Laura Friesen, Lori Fournier, Jennifer Kittell) paid attention to the smallest details. Maria appears at the von Trapp house wearing a truly hideous brown dress and tells the Captain that it was from the latest postulant. Later, after Maria has run back to the abbey, we see a new postulant (Penelope Hoolihan) walk across the stage in a green and white dress. Maria returns to the von Trapp family wearing the dress. 

With several costume changes, there was a lot of work for the costume crew and they definitely shone through. When Maria arrives at the von Trapp home, there are curtains on a window and she is told that a new curtain will be hung and later we see the children wearing clothing made from the same fabric. Perhaps my favorite outfit of the production was Leisel’s dress she wore during the Sixteen Going on Seventeen number. It was a beautiful light blue dress that perfectly floated around her as she danced throughout the number. 

Overall, this musical was beautifully done. It was well cast with a mix of veteran and brand new actors sharing the stage. The actors sounded wonderful when singing, although some were a bit quiet at times. The well known songs sounded beautiful and will make any fan of the show want to sing along (don’t worry, they invite you to sing along during the chorus of Edelweiss!).  The nuns (Penelope Hoolihan, Harper Court, Sonya McKerche, Alicia Hopper, Rebecca Pauli, Sarah Schellhas, Kim Norrington, Susan Sedlak, Marley Anderson) sang beautifully, even in Latin multiple times. The children all sounded wonderful as well. The musical director (Emily Buccaneer) did a wonderful job with the music. There were no issues with light or sound either (Pat Hubbard, Adam Iaquinto, Mance Broom). 

When it came to moving around the stage, there were very few awkward moments or chaotic movements (Choreographer Cindy Jackson), which made watching the production a very positive experience. Everyone seemed to know what to do and when to do it with very few awkward pauses.

Stand out performances from Madeline Speed (Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper) and Jennifer Harris (Mother Abbess). Kaitlyn Honnen and Alex Vokoun shone brightly as Maria Rainer and Captain Georg von Trapp. Selah Rice (Liesel) and Alexandria Hyatt (Louisa) were definite show-stoppers and had beautiful voices that blended together in gorgeous harmonies. All the children did a wonderful job acting, especially considering this was the first time several of the little ones had been on stage. 

Ryan Brown did a great job playing the besotted boyfriend Rolf who later turns and joins the Nazi party. Tom Sparrow (Herr Zeller) was especially threatening in his role as Herr Zeller.  Scott Long (Max Detweiler) and Yvonne McCarty (Elsa Schraeder) did an enjoyable job playing the Captain’s freeloading friend and potential love interest respectively. There was some minor fumbling, but nothing major. 

The drawbacks: There are some references to the Nazis and Nazi party. While it is kept at a minimum, those sensitive to that may want to avoid the show. This show is set in 1938 Austria, and it would be hard to erase all mentions of what was happening at the time. A few performers seemed to lack the sparkle of opening night and there was some line fumbling with a few of the actors. Chalk it up to opening night jitters. 

Is this show worth a see? Absolutely. As a mild fan of the Disney movie, I was looking forward to seeing this production, however, I know community theater is not always on par with a large budget production and can often be lackluster. This was definitely NOT the case with Clio Cast and Crew. This show was phenomenal. From the first strains of My Favorite Things to the final notes of The Sound of Music at the end of the show, I was entranced in the show, rooting for the von Trapp family, even though we all know how it ends. If you have the opportunity, definitely go see it! However, tickets are selling FAST. At the time of publication, ONE seat remained. Call ahead to see if there is any availability on the night of a show at 810-687-2588.