REVIEW: OUR HEARTS ARE BLESSED WITH THEATRE ANCASTER’S “THE SOUND OF MUSIC”
Theatre Ancaster's own von Trapp family. From left: Vienna Cloutier (Brigitta), Noah Pace (Friedrich), Hayden Edge (Kurt), Jennifer Budd (Maria), Avery Arruda (Gretl), Colin Lapsley (Captain von Trapp), Nora Greenspoon (Marta), Tara McFarlane (Leisl), and Sofie Greenspoon (Louisa). Photo by Laura Bottrell
It is no small feat bringing a beloved musical classic like Roger and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music to the stage. Expectations are high and meeting them takes a devoted team of performers, designers and one brave production team who love and understand the importance of the production’s 65 year legacy. How fortunate are audiences to know that Theatre Ancaster’s production has all the talent, heart and resonance wrapped up like packages tied up with string.
Upon our introduction to the breathtaking nun chorus and Mother Abbess (a soaring and goosebump giving performance by Abigail Veenstra who also takes up the daunting role of Vocal Director), we are transported to pre-war Austria. The set design and decoration by Michelle Chin and team is gorgeous and cleverly designed. No stranger to set design in our community, this may be Chin’s best work to date. The marble platform and staircase remain stagnant while the carefully crafted set dressing, rotating pillars and smaller set pieces change the scenes, negating the awkward transitions that commonly hinder musicals and instead, keep the story moving forward. At almost 3 hours long, any time we can save focusing on the story rather than scene changes is a blessing. Equally impressive are the projections designed by Owen Lapsley. Unlike some past performances at Ancaster, these projections do a phenomenal job adding to the set design and create a believable atmosphere. The lighting is also mostly effective throughout and after the opening night jitters have lessened, these cues will only continue to improve.
The enormous cast in The Sound of Music all excel in their roles and showcase some of the strongest talent the Hamilton area has to offer. Our Maria is performed with impressive vocal range by Jennifer Budd (who audiences may remember as Elle Woods in last year’s Legally Blonde: The Musical). What is refreshing about Budd’s performance is how she makes Maria her own with no sense of emulating the iconic performances of Marias past. Her infectious child-like wonder plays well and the stage musical allows for more time to watch her develop as a woman and mother figure. Some of Budd’s acting choices teeter on overdramatic but overall, her performance is captivating and her chemistry with the young performers is touching and authentic.
The seven von Trapp children are all wonderful, talented personalities on stage who make it so easy to love them. Audiences were beaming with joy whenever they were ensembled on stage, especially any time young Gretl (a charming Avery Arruda) spoke or sang. She steals every scene she’s in, accompanied by endearing performances by Hayden Edge as Kurt, who stuns us with his higher registry during “So Long, Farewell” and Vienna Coutier as Brigitta whose wise beyond her years characterization is delightful. Noah Pace (Friedrich), Nora Greenspoon (Marta) and Sofie Greenspoon (Louisa) are skilled dancers and have some lovely solo moments. The harmonies here are impressive and there is a believable closeness between them all. Bravo.
And now (dear god) about Lisel. Tara McFarlane is a stunning addition to the von Trapp children as the haughty but naive eldest sister who may not need a governess but definitely needs to do more musical theatre so we can see her talents continue to shine, hopefully in a lead role in the near future. The duet number “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” is an innocent showcase of young, forbidden love at its finest (aided by the lovely tenor and dance prowess of Owen Greenway as Rolf). An absolute highlight of this production to be sure.
Colin Lapsley is, at first, a hardened whistle-blowing Captain von Trapp. Watching him melt into a loving father and then facing the harsh realities of his patriotism was such a lovely change from seeing Lapsley in more comedic roles in his musical theatre past. His renditions of “Edleweiss” are deeply emotional. Kate Rogers excels as the lavish Baroness, with the stage musical allowing not only solos but more nuance to her character. Jim Broadley is a schmarmy and playful Max who has most of the best lines in the production. The ensemble all have moments to shine, particularly in the entertaining staging of “The Lonely Goatherd” and it must be acknowledged that playing multiple characters in quick succession is no easy feat and they all do it flawlessly.
It has to be mentioned for those not as familiar with the stage musical that it does not follow the film version’s timelines. There are several differences and some of them work well for the stage while others have less of an impact. The loss of Maria’s “I Have Confidence” is unfortunate as it showcases more of Maria’s battle with uncertainty in her upcoming mission but the song was only included for the film. Alternative placements of songs such as “My Favourite Things” make their reprisals in the second act lose some of their emotional impact, especially when Maria returns to the children singing the song that should have bonded them in the first half. I also appreciate the stage musical for addressing the harder themes of politics, war and standing up for one’s personal morals not only through the adult dialogue but also through songs and subtle costuming choices only found in the stage version. These themes still resonate to this day and the production does not shy from it (although no one rips a hateful flag quite like Christopher Plummer).
Unsurprisingly, given the deep admiration this musical has for generations of audiences, Theatre Ancaster has practically sold out its entire run at time of this review’s publication. The musical has touched the hearts of thousands of people and its legacy remains uplifting and encouraging even in the darkest of times. It is clear this production is one of Hamilton’s favourite things and our hearts are blessed with this production of The Sound of Music. If you have tickets, treasure the experience. This is one of the strongest productions Theatre Ancaster has staged yet.
CONTENT WARNING: This production contains depictions of Nazism that some viewers may find disturbing.
SOM1: From left: Noah Pace (Friedrich), Vienna Cloutier (Brigitta), Hayden Edge (Kurt), Avery Arruda (Gretl), Nora Greenspoon (Marta), Sofie Greenspoon (Louisa), and Tara McFarlane (Leisl) play the von Trapp children in Theatre Ancaster's The Sound of Music. Photo by Laura Bottrell
SOM2: The von Trapp family singers From left: Nora Greenspoon (Marta), Vienna Cloutier (Brigitta), Noah Pace (Friedrich), Colin Lapsley (Captain von Trapp), Jennifer Budd (Maria), Hayden Edge (Kurt), Avery Arruda (Gretl), and Sofie Greenspoon (Louisa). Photo by Laura Bottrell
SOM3: From left: Vienna Cloutier (Brigitta), Jennifer Budd (Maria), Tara McFarlane (Leisl), Hayden Edge (Kurt), Avery Arruda (Gretl), Nora Greenspoon (Marta), Sofie Greenspoon (Louisa), and Noah Pace (Friedrich). Photo by Laura Bottrell
SOM4: Jennifer Budd stars as Maria Photo by Gareth Skipp
SOMShow1: Maria and the von Trapp children in Theatre Ancaster's The Sound of Music. From left: Vienna Cloutier (Brigitta), Sofie Greenspoon (Louisa), Hayden Edge (Kurt), Noah Pace (Friedrich), Jennifer Budd (Maria), Tara McFarlane (Leisl), Nora Greenspoon (Marta), Avery Arruda (Gretl). Photo by Gareth Skipp
SOMShow2: Tara McFarlane and Owen Greenway play Leisl von Trapp and Rolf Gruber. Photo by Gareth Skipp
SOMShow3: Abigail Veenstra, also vocal director of the production, plays Mother Abbess Photo by Gareth Skipp
SOMShow4: Jennifer Budd stars as Maria Photo by Gareth Skipp
SOMShow5: The von Trapp family of Theatre Ancaster's The Sound of Music. From left: Vienna Cloutier (Brigitta), Tara McFarlane (Leisl), Colin Lapsley (Captain von Trapp), Hayden Edge (Kurt), Avery Arruda (Gretl), Noah Pace (Friedrich), Nora Greenspoon (Marta), and Sofie Greenspoon (Louisa). Photo by Gareth Skipp
