I will probably go to my grave as one of the few gay men who has not seen The Sound of Music. Sure, I know all the moves, from the twirling on a mountaintop in the Alps to a truly animated re-styling to the lyrics of “Doe a deer, a female deer.” It is so fixed in our cultural memory that it is a true shock to learn of others who, like me, have not seen it for a host of reasons.
From my friends who do know the film and often remark how I would love the story, Civic Theatre’s director and company make a compelling case with this production as to why it should be at the very top of our list of must-see events.
Loosely based off the memoirs of Maria Augusta Trapp’s “The von Trapp Family Singers,” Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music follows the story of Maria Rainer, a spirited young woman sent from a convent to serve the widowed Captain von Trapp’s seven children as their governess.
In the classic fashion of musicals of this period, a stiff captain and a free-spirited Maria merge into a marriage. But happiness is short-lived, and the end of their honeymoon brings them the gift of Nazis in their homeland of Austria.
The rest would spoil it for you, but let’s just say there is a good reason why so many get weepy in the retelling. Even the director of the Civic production weighed in on her personal connection to the work.
“When I was in college at Ball State U, I heard Maria von Trapp talk about the family's journey from their homeland. How they literally gave up everything to escape the horrible regime of Adolf Hitler,” said Penelope Notter, director of The Sound of Music. “(They) had to start over in a country where they didn’t even speak the language and survive! So when I approached the musical, I am able to hear Maria’s words about having to pay the ultimate price for freedom.”
And while a lot of our visual cultural references are to the production's Hollywood big screen version, theatre provides a new lens through which we can gaze upon this compelling story of individual bravery and the devotion of a family. This is a musical that is full of heart and a perfect gift for those seeking a new holiday experience with the family beyond the downtown tree lighting and the Nutcracker.
Admission: $18 – $35
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