BWW Reviews: Hale Centre Theatre's THE SOUND OF MUSIC is an Homage to the Film

Hale Centre Theatre West Valley's production of The Sound of Music is an homage to the beloved 1965 film, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture.

The musical (music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse) opened on Broadway in 1959. It follows Maria, a postulant who becomes the governess for a captain's seven children in World War II-era Austria.

The Hale Centre Theatre production seamlessly adds imagery, situations, and dialogue from the movie to the musical.

The designers of the production are to be commended for the creative ways they have alluded to the design of the film. Set designer Kacey Udy's lofty glass pavilion is stunning, and costume designer Kristy Draper's costumes are a charming melding of traditional Austrian dress with the iconic looks from the film. Sound designer Dan Morgan also did impressive work in creating natural sound (including echoes in the abbey and concert hall).

Somewhat perplexing is the fact that with all the effort to replicate the film experience, the lead character of Maria is cast and played against type. Nothing against Megan Heaps (double cast with Cecily Ellis-Bills), who is a talented singer and actress (who gave impassioned performances in The Scarlet Pimpernel and A Tale of Two Cities at this theatre), but she neither looks nor acts like the Julie Andrews-like character the audience expects. That would be fine and good (and probably refreshing) in a different, reimagined production, but in this case it distracts from the director's concept. Ms. Heaps is one of a handful of performers who have recently starred in multiple shows at this theatre. One can only wonder if they are chosen based more on the theatre's preferences and less on fit for the part.

The cast performs well, including the group of children, and especially the delightful AbiGail Edwards as Brigitta (double cast with Anne Ruth Burton). The standouts of the cast are Jessica Pearce as Elsa Schraeder (double cast with Michelle Sundwall) and Zac Zumbrunnen as Max Detweiler (double cast with David Marsden), who fill their scenes with wit and natural nuance. It is a shame that their second act song "No Way to Stop It" is cut, as it would have been a showstopper.

A highlight of the show is the way director Christopher Clark focuses on the Nazi's occupation of Austria and its effect on the characters, physically and emotionally. The dark staging of the scenes leading to the finale is compelling and chilling.

Hale Centre Theatre's production of "The Sound of Music," sure to please fans of the film (and who isn't one?), plays through August 4, 2012. For tickets, call the box office at 801-984-9000 or visit www.halecentretheatre.org.

Photo Credit: L-R Matthew Dobson as Captain von Trapp and Megan Heaps as Maria

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