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In 1959, Rogers and Hammerstein opened The Sound of Music on Broadway. 50 years, six Tonys and five Academy Awards later the musical still strikes a chord within us (pun intended). This particular production was presented by the New Theatre Restaurant and directed by Richard Carrothers.

The show is set in Austria in the late 1930s, just before Nazi Germany takes over the country. Maria Rainer is sent to widower Captain Von Trapp's home as a governess for his seven children. She teaches the children to sing, and finds herself falling in love with the captain, despite her intention to become a nun. Based on a true story, the Von Trapp family must escape Austria before Captain Von Trapp is forced to join the Navy of the Third Reich.

Ron Bohmer and Leigh Ann Larkin costar as Von Trapp and Maria. Both have credits that include Broadway and many national tours, and the New Theatre was very lucky to get them. They have beautiful voices and good chemistry. Some of the most interesting acting moments in the show were between these two.

Jim Korinke played Max Detweiler with flair and energy. Baroness Schraeder, Tausha Torrez was a sympathetic villain with clear motivation, everything is done to protect her own interests. Georga Osborne's Mother Abbess was refreshingly playful and has a gorgeous voice. Jeff Sears and Annie Simpson, Rolf and Liesl, are talented dancers with nice voices, but had little believable chemistry.

The children were predictably cute and talented without ever stealing the spotlight. The other cast members played their parts well enough, but seemed low on energy the evening I attended. Perhaps my criticism was ill placed, since I have no idea how one would play an energetic Nazi.

Richard J. Hinds choreography was sufficient. However, the dancers seemed talented enough to my eyes, and Hind should have made the steps more difficult and a little less cheesy, especially in "Sixteen Going on Seventeen".

As the curtain opened, I saw a gorgeously ornate set of archways and gold detailing, designed by Jason Coale. During the performance, different drops were used along with the arches to suggest an abbey (complete with stained glass), a large home, a hillside, a hallway of paintings, a bedroom and a garden. It was extremely versatile. My only complaint was that the hillside drop was brought in after the curtain rose, thus distracting from the title song.

Along with this awkward drop, there was a noise (perhaps to suggest wind on the hillside?) that sounded like the Millennium Falcon taking flight. Perhaps this colored my judgment for the rest of the evening, but sound levels just seemed a little off. There was an echoing door knock with some static attached, and the orchestra sounded more like a recording than live music. To be fair to award-winning sound designer Roger Stoddard, these were the only specific instances, so I can only assume everything else sounded just fine. The performers had microphones and sounded lovely. I was surprised that there were only four musicians in the pit. They did an agreeable job and perhaps sound mixing made them sound much larger.

Randy B. Winder's lighting was beautiful. The lighting storm in Maria's bedroom was very well done. The light quality always told what time of day it was. There was a hole toward the very front of stage right, but an actor only wandered into that spot once, so I'll assume it was by accident.

Costumes were fairly typical for this show, designed by Vincent Scassellati and coordinated by Mary Traylor. I liked the children's clothes made out of drapes and their festival costumes; but their marching uniforms seemed a bit wrinkled, which the real Captain Von Trapp would never have allowed. The Baroness' party dress stuck out as anachronistic, especially since all the other guests were dressed appropriately.

New Theatre is always an enjoyable evening out. The Sound of Music was visually stimulating and the songs were excellent - and the food was great.

REVIEW:
The Sound of Music
New Theatre Restaurant
9229 Foster, Overland Park, KS 66212
Runs June 25- August 30, 2009 (Reviewed July 3, 2009)
For tickets call 913-649-SHOW or online at www.newtheatre.com