Interview: THE SOUND OF MUSIC's Teri Hansen on Rodgers and Hammerstein, Returning to her Orlando Roots

When the glorious national tour of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC sets up shop at Orlando's Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts tonight, it will be a homecoming of sorts for one of the show's leading ladies. Though Teri Hansen, who plays the Baroness Elsa Schraeder, is a native of Detroit, after earning her degree in Opera at Florida State, she spent a year as an artist in residence with the now closed Orlando Opera.

In addition to having family in Central Florida and St. Petersburg, the actress is looking forward to visiting some of her old haunts while in town this week.

"It is a homecoming. When I lived (in Orlando), I lived one exit from Disney World, so I will probably go there, just to say hi," she said laughing.

The tour, which has a month of shows in Florida from mid-December to mid-January before heading up north, has been thrilling Sunshine State audiences at each stop, so Hansen encourages everyone to get tickets as soon as possible.

"We're playing lots of big venues in Florida, which is terrific," Hansen said. "The show is selling very well, we're near capacity, if not sold out. It's really exciting to play for these full houses, and they're just loving it."

Since its premiere in 1959, THE SOUND OF MUSIC has become one of the most popular musicals in history, due in no small part to the beloved 1965 film adaptation starring Julie Andrews. Leading up to the holidays, both NBC and ABC aired different versions of the show to ratings success (NBC with a re-air of their 2013 THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! and ABC with a Sing-Along version of the film).

With traditions like these, and the iconic "My Favorite Things" becoming a de facto of Christmas Carol, THE SOUND OF MUSIC has endeared itself to many as a holiday show, including the tour's cast.

"This show has really transformed into a holiday favorite, Hansen said. "The sing-a-long version that they aired (in December), was really funny. We were in Knoxville, and we actually had (it) playing in the green room, while we were doing the show on stage. It was a lot of fun."

Despite the fact that nearly everyone has seen the musical's film adaptation, or a local production of the stage version, the current tour, directed by three-time Tony winner Jack O'Brien, is a return to the show's emotional roots. Drawing from the true story of the Trapp Family Singers, the original Broadway production, and the Academy Award-winning film, O'Brien has been able to give the show a new perspective that exposes deeper levels to the musical than most people realized were there.

"It is a reinvention of a show that everybody thinks they know," Hansen said. "The authority that Jack's been given through the Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation to do what he felt was the most authentic version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, it's thrilling."

While the story and songs are obviously the same, the political unrest of the time, and the emotions that that inspired, is even more evident in this production than it ever has been before. All of Austria was gripped with the fear that the Nazi regime would suddenly overrun the country, much like it had already done across Europe.

"There is a sense of danger, there is a sense of urgency, and that underscores the greater message of the show," Hansen said, "which is one of faith, one of overcoming, and one of pursuing your dreams in spite of any obstacles you might face. It really raises the stakes of the show. A lot of people say they've never seen THE SOUND OF MUSIC like this before, and it's exciting to be a part of that."

While the real-life approach might not have always been standard for THE SOUND OF MUSIC in the past, in all of Rodgers and Hammerstein's works, the writing team found ways to eloquently discuss difficult issues in their deceptively simple songs, ranging from domestic violence to racism to depression to more.

"The thing that makes Rodgers and Hammerstein so timeless," said Hansen, who has released an album of the love songs of Richard Rodgers, "is that the themes that they dealt with in CAROUSEL, in OKLAHOMA, in SOUTH PACIFIC, in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, have to do with prejudice, racism, and other important issues. So, (the shows) have real people dealing with real human emotions, and political issues, and danger, and trying to find the joy in the midst of that. It's relatable, it's something that is absolutely basic to humanity, the challenges of life and overcoming."

O'Brien's fresh approach to the text has also had a significant impact on Hansen's performance as well. Even though this is the third time that she has played the baroness, with this production, Hansen has been able to bring even more nuance to the role.

"I have to say that Jack O'Brien has inspired me on a deeper level," Hansen admitted. "He is a very intelligent director, he is a director who is dedicated to the mystery of the words, and he sort of is an archeological wordsmith. He digs and digs and digs, and he never stops digging. He always says, 'You can never stop asking questions.'"

Though Elsa is often seen as one of the musicals bad-guys, all of that digging has resulted in a character that far more people can identify with than ever have before.

"She's more relatable," Hansen said. "I have a lot of professional women come up to me after the show and they say, 'The baroness is the only one that I could really relate to.' This is a woman who is the president and CEO of her own company. She has her own finances. She's self-sufficient, she's self-reliant, she's stylish, she's a woman of independent means, she doesn't need a man in her life. Yet, she finds herself in this time of political turmoil, where it is a practical matter for her to be married, for her own safety, for the well-being of her finances, and this relationship with the Captain looks very good on paper."

The character's relationship with Captain von Trapp puts her squarely at odds with Maria, even though they share very little stage time. However, despite the apparent love-triangle at the center of the first half of the show, Hansen doesn't feel that the two characters are all that different.

"The reality is, (Elsa's) just with the wrong fella, and she realizes that and makes a graceful exit," Hansen said. "It really has nothing to do with Maria, and I've never played it that way. In my mind, Maria and Elsa have an awful lot in common, not the least of which is they're both in love with the same man. If two women are in love with the same man, then they must have a similar point of view. Even though externally, Maria and Elsa could not be more different, there is a respect, and there is a recognition between these two women. I think that's one reason why Elsa leaves, she realizes this is not her place."

Hansen said that the role of Maria is an Olympic-level task for any soprano, and that it requires someone special to take on the enormous expectations that the role demands. When the tour launched last fall, O'Brien cast in the role a 20-year-old sophomore at Pace University named Kerstin Anderson. While she has since turned 21, her growth over the first few months of the tour, has been impressive to Hansen.

"It's something to watch a woman (of Kerstin's age) take on this role," Hansen said. "Kerstin has absolutely ascended this role with grace and dignity. She has been wide-eyed and enthusiastic and she gives all she can every night. Maria has quite a journey, emotionally and vocally, and (Kerstin) delivers beautifully."

The cast also includes Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway. Brown, a Gulf Breeze, FL native plays The Mother Abbess, and sings the soaring anthem "Climb Ev'ry Mountain"

"This is an iconic piece, there is a lot of expectations attached to it," Hansen said. "It's quite a lot to take on THE SOUND OF MUSIC, this is one of the most iconic shows in the American musical theatre. The trick, I think, is to completely ignore all of that and deliver it fresh, and deliver it with honesty and with passion and with enthusiasm. I think we are doing that, and that is what these audiences are responding to."

THE SOUND OF MUSIC North American tour runs at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts through January 10th. To purchase tickets, visit the Dr. Phillips' website or call 844-513-2014.

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Are you excited for O'Brien's authentic telling of this Classic musical? Let me know what you thought in the comments below, or by "Liking" and following BWW Orlando on Facebook and Twitter by using the buttons below. You can also chat with me about the show on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Banner Image: Merwin Foard, Teri Hansen, and Ben Davis. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

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