Photos by Gary Ng.
‘The Sound Of Music’ – Music By Richard Rodgers; Lyrics By Oscar Hammerstein; Book By Howard Lindsay And Russel Crouse; Suggested By “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp; Directed & Choreographed by Anthony C. Daniel. Presented by Ogunquit Playhouse at the The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, NH, through December 17
by Mike Hoban
Ogunquit Playhouse closes out its 2023 season with one of musical theater’s most iconic musicals, The Sound of Music, presented in downtown Portsmouth’s historic Music Hall. The stage musical, which opened on Broadway in 1959, won five Tony Awards and was adapted into the much beloved Academy-Award-winning film in 1964, but underneath its heartwarming story of how love and music can heal a soul, its dark undercurrent resonates even more loudly in today’s increasingly grim political climate.
The production opens with Mother Abbess (a stern but compassionate Allison Blackwell) and the nuns’ singing of “Preludium,” an aural treat made even grander by the wonderful acoustics of the Music Hall. That number segues into our introduction to Maria (an effervescent Emilie Kouatchou), the golden-hearted but nonconforming nun who launches into the stratospheric title tune with unbridled joy. Maria soon learns that, despite the infectious enthusiasm she brings to the abbey, her unorthodox approach makes her unfit for the staid life as a nun, and she is farmed out by the Mother Abbess to a wealthy widowed Austrian landowner to be the governess to his seven children. The Captain (Robert Lenzi), as he insists on being called, runs the family like a military academy following the death of his wife, substituting singing and unstructured play with rigid discipline and marching as a form of exercise.
As Maria assumes her duties and begins to teach the children life lessons in song, the audience is reminded of the sheer brilliance of Rodgers and Hammerstein, beginning with a series of tunes from musical theater’s greatest hits list. “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” come one after another, and the talented cast of children – shepherded with verve by Kouatchou – does a beautiful job of bringing each to life. The children are one of the real strengths of this show, as they harmonize beautifully while providing most of the comic moments of the evening.
The children (and the Captain) begin to warm to the charms of Maria, but it isn’t long before the foreshadowing of the dark underbelly of the story begins to emerge. Rolf (Spencer LaRue), the puppy-love interest of oldest daughter Leisl (Elizabeth Teeter), and Franz the butler reveal themselves as Nazi allies, and when Rolf greets the family with the Nazi salute of “Heil” when he comes to deliver a telegram, the Captain angrily sends him away. The political tension heightens at the party given by the Captain to introduce the beautiful and wealthy Elsa (Kate Loprest) as his wife-to-be. The guests bicker loudly over the Anschluss – the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany and refuse to speak with those holding opposing beliefs. Although director Anthony C. Daniel takes a subtle approach to the looming danger, it’s easy to see the naivete on the part of those who aren’t concerned about the implications of the rise of Hitler and what is to come. The tension between the guests hits a little close to home during this holiday season, as it mirrors the feel of too many Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday gatherings now going on in present-day America. The creepy reminder that it really “could happen here” is driven home later in the show, as the von Trapps perform at the festival in front of a giant swastika, signifying the new reality for Austria – and soon after, the world.
The show is bolstered by some strong performances, particularly Kouatchou and Blackwell (who brings down the house with her rendition of “Climb Every Mountain,” one of the show’s musical highlights) and Elizabeth Teeter (who has a Shirley Jones-like quality) is terrific as Leisl. The show is not without its shortcomings, however. There is no real chemistry between the Captain and Maria, largely because Lenzi’s performance is, quite frankly, a little wooden in contrast to the vibrant Kouatchou, and there aren’t really any scenes where we see the relationship between the pair develop. These are minor quibbles in an overall outstanding production, and it’s well worth the drive to Portsmouth, which has one of the most strollable historic downtowns in all of New England for shopping, dining, and browsing. For information and tickets, go to: https://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/
