Stage Review - The Sound of Music (Kitsap Forest Theater)
Stage Review - The Sound of Music
Presented By: Kitsap Forest Theater, Bremerton, WA
Date Reviewed: Monday, May 29, 2023
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
When a theater has been around for 100 years, it’s bound to go through some turmoil along the way. Kitsap Forest Theater, celebrating its centennial this year, I’m sure didn’t expect there to be as much drama off stage as on. For those not aware, the last few weeks have been challenging for the group, looking to open this milestone year with The Sound of Music, a classic in the annals of musical theater and one that they’ve done a few times before with a good deal of success. In short, yes, it’s a pretty popular show with them. A disagreement about access to the backstage area within the forest setting was at the heart of this latest hurdle, and while nothing has been fully resolved, the challenge has at least been temporarily suspended through a judge’s ruling. Of course, we’ll continue to follow the saga, but the good news for Kitsap Forest Theater, and for theater-goers throughout the region is that The Sound of Music was able to open on time. The show, directed by Trina Williamson, runs on stage under the venue’s canopy of redwoods and conifers, through June 18.
The first thing that anyone coming to see The Sound of Music will notice is the setting, which is breathtaking. And not the type of breathtaking that patrons will feel climbing the hill to get back out of the space after the show. Be warned, yes, there is a bit of a steep incline walking down to the theater space and walking up out of it, but take your time, you’ll be glad you did, and it’s well worth the effort. But while the setting itself is beautiful, there are some challenges inherent with the space that directors need to address before leading a show here. Sight lines can be limiting, especially on the outside of the seating area, and there’s the matter of getting voices projected to the back rows, balancing that with music, sound effects, and so on. The best thing here is to keep it simple, let the story speak for itself, let the actors bring that story to life, and don’t try to go too big. Director Trina Williamson has done all of that, balancing everything as close to perfect as possible. She has cast an absolutely wonderful group of actors who handle the material well, she has prepared them to present the story naturally and confidently, and she’s made sure that the live accompaniment is subtle, but noticeable. Finally, Trina and her team have kept the sets (George Pledger and Leanne Markle) and props (Stewart Shusterman) simple but purposeful. Trina clearly knows the space and has designed this show to fit well within its constraints, while at the same time expanding the stage to use pathways in and around the seating area to make it a more immersive experience. The only slight hiccup during Monday’s performance was around the audio, with some of the microphones cutting out periodically. I’m willing to forgive this here, though, given the nature of wireless communications and the outdoors. Add to that the ability of this cast to project, I noticed no real impact to the quality of the presentation.
The story itself is well known, the von Trapp family led by father and widow Captain Georg, late of the Austrian Navy, is in search of a new Governess, that role subsequently filled by Maria, who has just entered the Nonnberg Abbey in order to become a nun. Meanwhile, Hitler’s Germany is expanding its reach across central Europe and Georg’s allegiance to his native Austria will be tested, perhaps at the expanse of his family. Most are familiar with the film, starring Julie Andrews as Maria and Christopher Plummer as the von Trapp patriarch. The film was released after the stage version of the story, which itself is based on the 1949 memoir by Maria von Trapp, and while the general plot is relatively the same, there are a few things that the cinematic version does better, in my opinion, than the musical. I’m referring mostly to how the relationship is built between Georg and Maria. The film version moves some musical numbers around, for example putting “My Favorite Things” in the thunderstorm scene with Maria and the children rather than in the Abbey with Mother Superior and Maria, but it’s the Edelweiss scene in the film when Georg rediscovers his love for music and where he starts to feel something more than just angst toward the childrens’ governess that is lacking in the musical. Edelweiss itself is placed at the end of the musical, and while the scene referenced above is alluded to here, the stage version doesn’t show the growing relationship between the two. All of the weight of that is put into one short scene where one of the von Trapp children, Kurt, asks Maria to teach him the Länder dance, and Georg steps in to help demonstrate. This scene is so important to the telling of their relationship story, and it’s also where a lot of productions fail, because it is so important. The chemistry between Maria and Georg needs to be palpable, and this comes down to the actors, in this case Ila Faubion Dreessen as Maria and Royce Napolitino as Georg. It’s a challenge that is made that much harder given the depth of seating at this particular venue, to make sure that the entire audience can pick up on it, but this pair is more than up to the task. Productions that don’t present this piece well have to rely on the nostalgia associated with this show and familiarity with the plot for it to work at all. Thankfully, here, that’s no necessary.
Ila as Maria excels in all aspects of her performance. Her soprano is top notch, she explores her excellent range in “Do-Re-Me” and yodels her way through “The Lonely Goatherd” as if she was meant for this role. Her engagement with the children onstage and her overall confidence playing this role is wonderful, it’s really an exquisite performance. Ila is able to capture Maria’s angst at her decision to enter the Abbey, her adoration of the children, confusion in her growing love for Georg, and her determination to protect her new family from evil influences, maintaining the essence of the character from start to finish. Royce’s Georg is also enjoyable, regimented at first then softer, but determined, at the end. It’s a transformation that needs to be handled gradually and subtlety, as it takes a number of small occurrences for it to happen, there’s not one particular a-ha moment here. Another stellar performance, in a show with many, is Emily Brotherton as Elsa Schraeder, she is wonderful in “How Can Love Survive”, which is one of my favorite pieces in this show, along with “The Lonely Goatherd” and “I Have Confidence”, both of those sung by Ila’s Maria. I also found Gail Foster’s Mother Abbess excellent, commanding with stage presence and a beautiful singing voice.
Supporting this wonderful group of leads is John Lange as Max Detwiler, Stewart Shusterman playing Franz the butler, and Carol Stanley as housekeeper Frau Schmidt, each of them very good in these roles. Also good are the von Trapp children, Liesl (Jasmine Harrick), Friedrich (Clara Pettiross), Louisa (Evelyn Brotherton), Kurt (Erin Fall), Brigitta (Olivia Markle), Marta (Maisy Walters), and Gretl (Reeve Walters). Laura McFarlane’s choreography isn’t complex, keeping in line with Trina’s vision for the show and the venue, but it’s not unchallenging either, and in the numbers involving the children, they each do a nice job executing it.
The structure of the Forest Theater amphitheater is such that the seated audience looks down upon the stage area. Set pieces are moved in from either side and changed very quickly. This is a very capable cast and crew that can pull this off and take a long three hour show (including intermission) and keep the pace going as well as they do. All this is especially good to see considering the battles around access to the backstage areas during tech rehearsals, there’s nothing to let on that there was anything hampering preparation for this show.
In short, Kitsap Forest Theater’s production of The Sound of Music is simply wonderful. Trina Williamson has assembled a talented cast who performs this classic with skill and reverence for its place in history. Led by the incomparable Ila Faubion Dreessen as Maria, this ensemble of excellent performers hits on every note, bringing this classic to life in a setting that would make anyone feel like there’s at least a little bit of magic happening here.
The Sound of Music runs through June 18 at Kitsap Forest Theater. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.foresttheater.com/. Note that there is a significant slope to the walk in and out of the theater space. For more information, as well as accessibility options, please visit their website.