Performing Arts

Cappies reviews: The Sound of Music

Cappies, a national program sponsored by the Capitol Steps theater group of Washington, sends high school student-critics to review high school productions. The Sound of Music performed at Woodrow Wilson High School in the Dallas school district, was reviewed on April 18.

The Sound of Music is one of the most popular pieces of musical theater by the famed pair Rogers and Hammerstein. Most remembered for the film adaptation featuring Julie Andrews, this musical centers on the life of a convent-girl-turned-governess named Maria as she deals with seven children and falls in love with their widower father, Captain Von Trapp.

Set in Austria in 1938, the musical also touches on darker themes, particularly the emergence of Nazi Germany and the subsequent invasion of the Von Trapp's homeland. Woodrow Wilson High School's production was a dazzling, thoroughly engrossing trip into the pre-World War II world.

The show drew heavily from other productions, and to great success. The choreography in scenes like "Do-Re-Mi" and "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" was recognizable, cute, and well-executed. I also enjoyed the use of the veritable pantheon of nuns to disguise set and costume changes – very innovative! Since Woodrow Wilson probably has the largest chorus of any high school musical I've experienced, I was glad to see them serving a larger purpose.

Surprisingly, this huge group produced very little sound. Several voices in the group stood out while the rest hardly carried beyond the first few rows. Bigger, rounder vowels and a reduced dependence on microphones would probably help them improve on that for future performances. In her scenes, Valerie Reynolds shone as a stoic Mother Superior. She and the rest of the nun's quartet did a great job holding their own on the close harmonies in "Maria."

As the show progressed, the actors' characterizations flourished. Lizzie Cochran brought a cheerful, determined personality to the stage as Maria, and Hayden Farem as the Captain was nicely authoritative and stern. The seven Von Trapp children were all high schoolers playing younger children, and they all did wonderful jobs acting their respective ages. I especially enjoyed Gretl's (Andrea Sanchez) constant playing with her doll and Liesl's (Kate Pederson) performance in "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" with her telegram-carrying crush, Rolf (Spencer Miller).

The conniving Uncle Max (Sam Schuerger) was consistently sneaky and hilarious, always reacting to his fellow actors and remaining fabulously in character the whole time. He and the elegant Frau Schraeder (Katie Cunningham) developed a great rapport during their time onstage together, especially throughout their duets.

While the first act includes most of the well-known songs and scenes, it was Woodrow Wilson's production of Act Two that really made this production memorable. One scene in particular stole the entire show: the sequences leading up to and including the broadcast scene of the Festival at which the Von Trapps perform. The combination of unexpectedly bright, patriotic music with the countless swastikas appearing from towers and side-panels, even covering the "WW" above the stage and cast members dressed as Nazis patrolling the aisles chilled me to the bone.

Breaking the fourth wall in this case brought a new dimension to the scene. Suddenly, everything I had read about Nazi Germany and life in fascist states made horrible, terrifying sense, even though I knew perfectly well that the boys in Nazi uniforms were just high school actors playing a part and that the submachine guns they carried were fake. I was absolutely floored by the complete focus and dedication to character in this scene – the Von Trapps looked just uncomfortable enough; Max was genuinely squirming, worried for their safety, and the tension in the room could have been sliced and piled up like sandwich meat.

In a word: unbelievable. The entire show depended on this scene to demonstrate exactly what the Von Trapps went through, exactly what sort of tide the Captain was standing against, to explain why they were forced from their homeland.

The Woodrow Wilson troupe pulled it off in extraordinary ways. While the first act makes it a catchy piece of musical theater, the second act made this otherwise cliché show brilliant and powerful. My congratulations to the soldiers and their commanders in the scene, as well as to the hilarious second and third place winners (Katie Shank, Nick Muston, Jack Wamre, and Kobie Baus), who made me laugh even when the canned applause and Nazis patrolling the auditorium were lurking in the shadows.

Altogether, the show was technically sound (despite some microphone malfunctions, a set mishap, and a dropped cue here and there), gleaming with lavish sets and extraordinary costumes. While the first act dragged (through no fault of the actors; it was simply a function of script length), the second was one of the most powerful pieces of theater I've seen in a long time, especially executed by a high school cast. The entire cast did a phenomenal job, especially for opening night, and though I would encourage them not to depend so much on microphones and to work on reacting more to one another in several scenes, they should realize that their performance Friday night was a fantastic achievement that will definitely be remembered for seasons to come. Great show, everyone! Keep up the good work!

For information on Cappies, log on to www.cappies.com. To join locally, contact Lynn Shaw, the area director, at 972-980-1140 or e-mail www.lynn.shaw@Cappies.com.