Synopsis
The main characters of The Sound of Music are members of an actual family, the Trapps, who successfully toured the world of music in choral concerts.
The first scene takes place at the Nonnberg Abbey in Austria in 1938. The nuns are pursuing their respective tasks, but the postulant Maria is not with them, for she is lying in a hammock on the mountain-top enjoying the beauty of Nature ("The Sound of Music"). The nuns, and the Mother Abbess particularly, are considerably disturbed about her, since they are convinced she is not ready to enter upon a life dedicated solely to religion ("Maria"). The Mother Abbess confesses that there are many pleasures in life which she shares with Maria ("My Favorite Things"), but for Maria's sake she decides to send the postulant away to serve as temporary governess for the seven children of Captain Georg von Trapp, a retired Austrian Naval officer, and a widower.
Maria comes to this household and completely wins over the children's affection, particularly after she entertains them and allays their fears during a thunderstorm ("The Lonely Goatherd"). She teaches the children to love music, and especially to sing ("Do, Re, Me"). And she can be uniquely sympathetic to the oldest of the children, Liesl, when she gets involved in her first love affair, with the village boy, Rolf Gruber ("Sixteen Going on Seventeen").
The Captain brings from Vienna Elsa Schraeder, his fiancee, who prevails on him to give a huge party. After the children bid the guests good night ("So Long, Farewell"), Maria becomes suddenly aware that she has fallen in love with her employer. Horrified, she flees from the villa back to the Abbey, where the Mother Abbess encourages her to overcome any obstacle that may lie in the way of her happiness ("Climb Every Mountain"). Returning to the villa, she finds that the Captain and his fiancee have separated following a quarrel over Nazism ("No Way to Stop It"). The romance of Maria and the Captain now develops rapidly ("Something Good"). They get married in a festive ceremony at the Abbey. After returning from their honeymoon, the Nazis--who by now have invaded Austria--summon the Captain back to naval duty. An avowed anti-Fascist, the Captain resolutely refuses to do so. He arranges to flee from the villa with his wife and children using the Kaltzberg Festival as cover ("Edelweiss, So Long, Farewell"). With the Nazis in pursuit, the Trapps hide in the garden of the Abbey, and after that make their way to freedom by foot over the mountains.
With The Sound of Music the epoch-making collaboration of Rodgers and Hammerstein came to an end: Oscar Hammerstein II died on August 23, 1960. Happily, this partnership, which changed the destiny of the American musical theatre, ended on a note of triumph. The Sound of Music is the most beautiful and glowing musical Rodgers and Hammerstein had written since The King and I, and their greatest box-office triumph since that time. Before coming to New York it had accumulated the largest advance sale in the history of the Broadway theatre--about three million dollars--and during its first two years in New York there was never an empty seat in the house.
First produced at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 16, 1959, with Mary Martin as "Maria", Theodore Bikel as "Captain von Trapp" and Patricia Neway as the "Mother Abbess".
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by The Trapp Family Singers
By Maria Augusta Trapp
Performances:
Thurs, Mar 1, 2012 @ 8:00pm
Fri, Mar 2, 2012 @ 8:00pm
Sat, Mar 3, 2012 @ 8:00pm
Sun, Mar 4, 2012 @ 2:00pm
Straughn Auditorium
Tickets:
Adults $12
Seniors/Students $10
Children (12 and under) $6
MU Students FREE with valid ID
Directed & Designed by Michael Crum
Musically Directed by Dr. Sheryl Monkelien
Chorus Prepared by Peggy Dettwiler
Choreography by Abby Van Gorden
Cast
Maria Rainer | Danielle Montgomery |
The Mother Abbess | Amanda Coughenour |
Sister Berthe, Mistress of Novices | Heather Sitek |
Sister Margaretta, Mistress of Postulants | Kimberly Bemis |
Sister Sophia | Arielle Book |
Captain Georg Von Trapp | Derek Gracey |
Franz | Matt McGahey |
Frau Schmidt | Beth Bentley |
Admiral Von Schreiber | Joseph Izzo |
Rolf Gruber | Ian MacDonald |
Elsa Schraeder | Sarah Taylor |
Ursula | Arlene Boruchowitz |
Max Detweiler | Jarrod Miller |
Herr Zeller | Kevin Malmrose |
Baron Elberfeld | Zack Minnier |
Baroness Elberfeld | Rebecca Martz |
A New Postulant | Rose Boone |
Liesl Von Trapp | Daniela DiBenedetto |
Friederich Von Trapp | Dawson Hilfiger |
Louisa Von Trapp | Emerson York |
Kurt Von Trapp | Isaac VanLoon |
Brigitta Von Trapp | Ellianna Fry |
Marta Von Trapp | Abbye Cavanaugh |
Gretl Von Trapp | Katie Burke |
Neighbors of Captain Von Trapp, Nuns, Novices, Postulants & Contestants at the Festival Concert
Corina Aucker | Geoffrey Baker | Carly Bechdel | Cole Black |
Lindsay Brown | Anna Buglio | Rochelle Carlisle | Amanda Clark |
Natalie Crosby | Morgan DuBrey | Brienne Early | Sarah Eline |
Arianna Emenheiser | Tabitha Gallagher | Ashley Jackson | Kathryn Janower |
Jeffrey Johnson | Christine Masucci | Katelyn Muirhead | Danielle Murray |
Sara Robbins | Jessica Ryerson | Tara Schumaker | Justina Sechrist |
Emily Shosh | Gloria Troost | Erika VanGorden | Tim Wilbourn |
John Wilshire | Katelyn Wright |
Orchestra
Conductor | Sheryl Monkelien |
Violin | Justin Stark, Lucy Combs |
Viola | Alyssa Wroblewski |
Cello | Kelsey Boltz |
Bass | Cris Iorio |
Harp | Tom Wierbowski |
Guitar | Barnave Thanis |
Keyboards | Laura Weidner |
Percussion | Jon Conover |
Tuba | Mark Bower |
Flutes | Chelsea Johnson, Emily Kaplan |
Clarinets | Allyson Edington, Jenna Palmatier |
Oboe | Megan Jones |
Bassoon | Ben Bradley |
Horns | Diana Allan, Kadeem Calhoun, Sarah Probst |
Trumpets | Noelle Humphries, Nick Goldkranz, Dean Abraham |
Trombones | Glen DeGeorge, TJ Harris |
Production Staff
Technical Director | Michael Crum |
Production Manager | Peter Davis |
Assistant Directors | Kathleen Kelly, Lindsay Brown |
Lighting Design | Kevin Gleason |
Lights | Derek Keifer |
Sound & Sound Effects | Tim Dart, Cole Black |
Stage Manager | Kathleen Kelly |
Rehearsal Accompanist | Nolan DeSanto |
Costumes | Peter Davis, Gloria Troost, Lucy Combs |
Props | Peter Davis |
Stage Crew | Members of the Cast |
Spotlights | Jay Parker, Stephanie Rosengrant |
Publicity | Lilace Guinard, Kim Hulslander, Kathleen Kelly, Lindsay Brown |
Photos | Brandon Lepley |
Logo Design | Annie Masters |
Poster & Program Design | Sheryl Monkelien |
Tickets | Natalie Crosby, Rachel Smith, Jessica Mohr, Samantha Roberts, Brianna McGuire, Derek Smilowski |
Ushers | The Members of Sigma Alpha Iota |
Scenic Construction | Mike Crum, Peter Davis, Kevin Gleason, Derek Kiefer, Bri Erdmann, Jay Parker, Stephanie Rosengrant, Kevin Malmrose, Justina Sechrist, Kelly Villaneuve, Tara Schumaker, Ian McDonald, Tim Wilbourn, Daniela DiBenedetto, Amanda Coughenour, Jarrod Miller, Anna Buglio, Bryan Hoover, Carly Bechdel, Arielle Book, Heater Sitek, John Wilshire |
Costumes by | Spencer Community Theatre, Spencer, IA; Central Dauphin High School, Harrisburg, PA |
Special Thanks To...
- Student Government Association
- Committee on Finance
- Music Department - Dr Shellie Gregorich, Chair
- Silent G Productions
- Peter Davis
- The Arcadia Theatre
- Mayor Tom Wierbowski
- Kim Hulslander
- Linda and Jessica Crum
- Suzy Achey
- Mark Polonia
- KC101
- Country Ski & Sport
- Sigma Alpha Iota
- Charlie Earle and the MU Print Shop
- Scott Williams, Manager of Campus Services and the MU Building and Grounds Crew
- The Open Rehearsal for area schools was generously sponsored by Wellsboro Imaging, Inc., Dr Enrico J Doganiero