(Above: Sabrina Gross takes on the challenging role of Maria in Cottage Theatre’s production of The Sound of Music; photos by Emily Bly)
By Randi Bjornstad
Given that The Sound of Music has been around as a perennial musical theater favorite for 60 years — How can that be? — it’s probably not necessary to summarize the plot for most people.
Nonetheless, here it is: A handsome (and rich) widower with a passel of unruly children (whom he largely ignores) needs a new nanny for them, so he goes to the local convent for a recruit. The Mother Superior takes the opportunity to unload her youngest and most irrepressible postulant (someone who is in residence but hasn’t taken vows yet), and that’s Maria (Remember the song, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?). Maria’s generous and loving ways eventually win the Von Trapp children over — and the dad too, which sets up another plot twist because he has a rich-and-sophisticated fiancée who quickly sees danger in the form of competition. They all happen to live in Austria during World War II, so there’s a further plot problem involving the need for the family to flee the Nazis into Switzerland, which they do (because of Maria’s genius) by entering a singing contest and thereby opening a route to escape.
Phew! This musical was a blockbuster from the beginning, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1959, thanks to the music by and lyrics by Ricahrd Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. The book (meaning story) was the work of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, based on The Trapp Family Singers, an autobiography by Maria Augusta Trapp.
It went on to become a movie in 1965 that starred Julie Andrews as Maria, a role that she has personified for decades.
Now The Sound of Music is onstage at the Cottage Theatre, directed by Joel Ibáñez, with Sabrina Gross as Maria and Nathan Blakely as Georg von Trapp. The seven von Trapp children are played by Hanna Foshay (Liesl), Maia Wilhour (Friedrich), Kira Carver (Louisa), Nicole Wilhour (Brigitta), William Blakely (Kurt), Audriahna Jones (Marta), and Zoe Goings (Gretl).
Additional actors include Tracy Nygard (Mother Abbess), Brittany Dreier (Elsa Schraeder), Blake Nelson (Max Detweiler), and Oshen Parris-Austin (Rolf).
The production crew features costume design by Rhonda Turnquist, set design by Tony Rust, and lighting design by Amanda Ferguson.
The Sound of Music
When: Evenings at 8 p.m. on April 5-6, 11-13, 18-20, and 25-27; matinees at 2:30 p.m. on April 7, 14, and 28 (not on April 21, which is Easter Sunday)
Where: Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove
Tickets: $25 for adults, $15 for youths ages 6 to 18 years; available at the box office 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 541-942-8001, or online at cottagetheatre.org
