PTHS’s Sound of Music hits the right notes
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Left to right: Sophia Heistand, Ursula Adams-Doyle, Chloe Sampson, Aurelia Jones, Mira Grace, June Harper, Gus Parson, and Ember Parson. Photo by Kathie Meyer [/caption]
Art news by Kathie Meyer
High schoolers onstage backed up by adults, singing their lungs out and dancing together – these are a few of my favorite things.
It’s hard to drag me out of the house at any time, especially in November, but I was easily lured to Port Townsend High School (PTHS) for the opening night of The Sound of Music, directed by Chris Pierson.
It’s embarrassing to say how long it has been since I’ve seen a PTHS musical. It was definitely pre-COVID, when Jennifer Nielsen, another person who contributed greatly to the success of PTHS drama over the years, was at the helm. While Pierson had directed shows in the past, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him do a musical. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had no personal connection to any of the kids in this show, yet I was excited to check it out from past experience.
With a classic musical that has been around almost as long as I’ve been alive, most of us already know the plot and fate of the Austrian von Trapp family during WWII. This is a chance to enjoy other aspects of this musical, or the entire production as a whole, perhaps considering it in juxtaposition to current times. It is, unfortunately, a little sobering in resemblance.
Not to worry. By the time the problem of Maria (Sophia Heistand) gets solved, and the von Trapp children (Ember Parson, Gus Parson, June Harper, Mira Grace, Aurelia Jones, Chloe Sampson, and Ursula Adams-Doyle or Daphne Bronski) march on stage, the dopamine rush you’ll get from the cuteness and charm makes the trip out of the house a thousand times worthwhile.
The costumes by Thea Barnett, Ember Parson, and Tanya Barnett for the children were exceptional. The choreography of Liesl’s (Ember Parson) dance with Rolf Gruber (CJ Fisher), leading to her first kis,s was captivating and perfectly executed.
Captain von Trapp (Ben Shaffer) runs a tight ship, but Maria breaks through, of course, and he marries her instead of Elsa Schraeder (Lou Keefer), who doesn’t seem interested in his talented children at all.
“It is the same subtle, yet powerful and true-to-life, non-violent, anti-Nazi story, with songs of brown paper packages tied up with string, that we have all come to love.”
Keefer was wonderfully clever in her role as von Trapp’s fiancée. Shaffer and Heistand were as sweet as Elevated Ice Cream as they navigated their love as von Trapp and Maria. Sawyer Duval plays Max Detweiler, von Trapp’s opportunistic friend, slicker than oil on asphalt.
All other actors – Penelope Harris-Pruden, Jay Soper-Serkowski, Millie O’Neill, Micah Katz, Addie Hoffman, Rex Rose-Wood, Chloe Leonard-Stephens, Amber Anzick, Thea Barnett, Vincent Herbert, Theo Dieckman, Jay McCracken, and William Dejarnett – gave it their all; however, I was especially enchanted by Molly Murney as the butler, and Ursula Adams-Doyle as Gretl. The Princess Leia hairdo on Adams-Doyle couldn’t have been more adorable. You could tell everyone involved worked hard on this production, some assuming more than one role both onstage and/or backstage. At curtain call, you might be amazed at how Pierson and the gang wrangled such a large cast. It’s no small feat.
Was opening night without hiccups and every single note sung in tune? No. If you are expecting perfection from high school kids in a small town, you need to adjust your thinking and relax because the able direction of the orchestra pit will get things going on the right track again. For this, we thank Leslie Lewis and Lisa Lanza, two professionals we are privileged to have among us, keeping musicals alive and well at PTHS. Xavier Cooper also kept the melody moving on violin.
Jim Guthrie once again brought his decades-long experience to the set construction. It’s not easy to portray the Alps, an abbey, and a captain’s house all at the same time, but somehow they did it. Kudos to all involved backstage and in other unseen roles – Kestrel Campbell, Robin Haney, Bodhi Fleischer, Ollie Banks, Aiyanna Webb, Aislyn Graves, Rylie Headly, Castor Eisenman, Key Matter-Williams, Brody McCranie, Kai Anderson, and Kelly Doran.
Having never actually seen The Sound of Music on the stage before, it was an interesting exercise for this theatre nerd to notice differences between the Broadway show and the motion picture.
The song order was different, and the fourth wall is broken once or twice as well. If that was Pierson’s idea, it was brilliant. In other words, don’t go expecting it to be exactly as you know it from the movie version.
It is the same subtle, yet powerful and true-to-life, non-violent, anti-Nazi story, with songs of brown paper packages tied up with string, that we have all come to love. Many thanks to Pierson and his students for this production – it really hits the right notes in so many ways.
Overall, you can’t beat this kind of entertainment for the money. Take the whole family! The show runs two more times on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14-15, at 7 pm, in the PTHS auditorium. Tickets are $15 general admission; $10 students and seniors, and $5 students with an ASB card.
