Interview: Elizabeth Teeter of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at The Muny

St. Louis native Elizabeth Teeter will take The Muny stage this week in The Sound of Music to play Liesl, the eldest of the von Trapp children. Elizabeth has performed in Broadway and Off Broadway Productions, but started her acting career at The Muny. It is no surprise that she found a home on the stage as theater runs in her family. Her father is Broadway veteran Lara Teeter who teaches Dance at Webster University. Her mother, Kristen, also teaches Dance at Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis. BroadwayWorld sat down with Elizabeth to learn about her memories of performing at The Muny, how she approaches this role, and who has influenced her young career in the performing arts.

Elizabeth performed in her first show at The Muny in 2008 when she played Tootie in Meet Me in St. Louis. She followed that performance two years later playing Marta in The Sound of Music. Now, 11-years later, 19-year-old Elizabeth returns to The Muny to take on the role of Liesl von Trapp in what she calls a full-circle moment. According to Teeter, this production gives her the chance to reflect and look back on doing what she loves.

When asked about playing Liesl she said that she loves this role. She explained, "Liesl is forced to grow up quickly and put her family first. She goes from being head-over-heels in love to having to protect her family." In this production Liesl is played as a modern young woman who takes charge in her relationship with Rolf. Elizabeth explains that when the second act gets dark, Liesl is heartbroken as she deals with Rolf's decision that places the von Trapp family in a life and death situation.

The Sound of Music Director Matt Kunkel says, "Elizabeth has great energy and spirit. She brings such a new vivid interpretation to Liesl." He continued, "I'm thrilled that she is playing this role because she is so close to the character's actual age." Matt mentioned that Elizabeth is a wonderful company member who is a true leader and role model for the other children in the company.

Elizabeth shared that she has three younger sibling and is the eldest like the character she plays in the show. When asked how she leads the younger members of the company, Elizabeth explained that she helps them connect to the material by talking about the scenes. Elizabeth said that the younger members of the company don't know about World War II. "I explain about Rolf, remind them that the show is based on a real family and that we need to honor history by telling a story that actually happened," she said. She reminds her younger cast mates to go out and do their best, have energy and be loud.

When asked about what will make this production of The Sound of Music fresh, Elizabeth talks about the director's (Matt Kunkel) approach. "Matt," she said, "reminded the company that this is a show about love and family." She recalled how Matt took the time to do a table read to stress the importance of the story, focusing on the text and the meaning of the words.

In 2019, Elizabeth had the opportunity to create a role in a new Off-Broadway musical, The Secret Life of Bees. She said, "this is a new show based on a book, and I am a book nerd." She thinks this was her favorite role to date because of the collaborative process of bringing a new musical to life on the stage.

When asked about who has influenced her career, the first people she mentions are her parents. When she was younger her dad used to play imaginary games with her. "We would act out the Disney films," she recalls. Her parents taught her to be humble, stay grounded and do the work. Which is one of the lessons she also learned from Helen Mirren when she starred with her in The Audience on Broadway. According to Elizabeth, Mirren was the perfect of example of being gracious to every cast and crew member who worked on the show.

When asked what impact she would like to have on The Muny audience with this production of The Sound of Music, she explained she would like to show the audience that teenagers are smarter than you think. She said that there are many smart young women out there who are underestimated and misunderstood. She hopes her portrayal of Liesl will change perceptions about teenagers.

The Muny presents The Sound of Music, sponsored by Edward Jones, from August 3rd - 9th. To purchase tickets, visit metrotix.com or The Muny Box Office in Forest Park. For more information visit muny.org.

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