"The Sound of Music" opens April 1 as next Mainstage offering

The SUNY Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance, in association with the School of Music, will present six performances of “The Sound of Music” from April 1 to 9 in Marvel Theatre at Rockefeller Arts Center.

More than 100 students, including a cast of 35 and an orchestra of 32, are involved in this Walter Gloor Mainstage Series production of the popular musical. “The Sound of Music” was created in 1959 with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, as suggested by “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.”

Directing the SUNY Fredonia Mainstage production will be Jessica Hillman, assistant professor of performance with the Department of Theatre and Dance.

“‘The Sound of Music’ has reached iconic status in America,” Hillman said. “The original New York production broke advance box office records and was one of the longest running Broadway musicals in its time. The film remains one of the most profitable and popular movies of all time.”

The story chronicles the adventures of Maria, a young woman set on becoming a nun, who finds herself tested when she is assigned to be the governess of the seven mischievous Von Trapp children. Popular songs include “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and the title song.

Jennifer Lefsyk, a senior musical theatre major, has been cast in the role of Maria in the SUNY Fredonia production. She said it was a challenge to take on the part that Julie Andrews played in the 1965 film – earning an Academy Award Nomination as Best Actress in the process.

“I think it was impossible for any of us to walk into this experience without (the original film) in the back of our minds.” Lefsyk said. “Most people have expectations about what the show should or shouldn’t be.”

Lefsyk and other cast members credited Hillman for creating a positive, creative atmosphere for the actors to grow in during the rehearsal process.

“I really enjoy her process because she’s a smart director who is able to work a show until it fits with her vision and every piece is right,” said Richard Rosenthal, junior musical theatre major who plays Captain Von Trapp.

Hillman said it’s “wonderful and exciting to be bringing something that makes people so happy to life,” but explained audience members should be aware that the stage production is different from the movie.

“There are two additional songs, for instance, and the play is also more political. It makes a very important point – the importance of taking a stand against encroaching evil,” she said.

Hillman described the work as “brave and surprising in 1959, when the original production opened, and its themes still resonate.”

“When most were silent in the face of the Nazi regime, arguing – as the characters Elsa and Max do – that there was ‘no way to stop it,’ the Von Trapps, strengthened by the power of family, music and nature, refused to acquiesce to that evil and devastating ideology,” she said.

That message struck a chord with Rosenthal.

“I love the character of the Captain because he is a man who is motivated by tradition and morality – a sense of right,” Rosenthal said. “He is a man stuck in the past in a time when it is very dangerous to think of anything but the future. I think this all makes for exciting drama, especially set against the backdrop of the creeping threat of Nazism.”

Work on the Mainstage production began last August with casting and the start of the set design process.

“Rehearsals began at the end of January and have been going very well,” Hillman said. “The set design is going to be gorgeous.”

The set design is by Gregory Kaye, assistant professor of scenic design, who did the set design for “Kiss Me, Kate,” which was last season’s musical.

In addition to enjoying the Mainstage production, Hillman hopes audiences will “find something new to consider” about “The Sound of Music.”