Peoria Players Theatre presents “The Sound of Music” as it final production in 2014. Stan Strickler has this review for Peoria Public Radio and the Live Theatre League of Peoria. Opinions expressed are those of the reviewer, not those of Peoria Public Radio or the Live Theatre League.
Having me review The Sound of Music is a bit like asking a vegan to review the most popular steakhouse in town. While it is a much beloved musical, to me it seems dated and tired and much too sweet. The characters seem more like caricatures than real people and many of their changes in attitude seem unmotivated. But I suppose the fact that, for example, Captain von Trapp changes from a stern disciplinarian to a kindly father in the course of one song is a convention of musical theater.
The story revolves around the widowed Captain von Trapp , his seven children, and Maria, who is assigned to be their governess. Maria immediately connects with the children, bringing music back into their lives, and she and the Captain fall in love. Complications ensue as the Captain is ordered to serve in the German Navy. Eventually the family escapes to safety in Switzerland.
Dedra Kaiser brings a sweet voice to the role of Maria. She sings beautifully and moves across the stage well, and she connects well with the children, most of whom are double cast. Speaking of the children, the cast I saw on opening night were delightful and all had a nice stage presence. Pauline Parkhurst as Liesl brought a sweetness to her role and sings well. As her love interest, Andrew Harlan has a nice voice and dances well in his duet with Liesl. As the Mother Abbess Anita Rowden has a powerful voice and does well in the show stopping “Climb Every Mountain.”
As a balance to all the sweetness, Bryan Blanks as Max Detweiler and Tonya Davis as Elsa bring some notes of realism to the play. They both play their parts well. I especially enjoyed their scenes since they seem the most realistic characters. He is a self-serving individual who doesn’t care who he is loyal to, and she is a wealthy woman who is in love with the Captain. She exhibits jealousy toward Maria, whom she considers a rival, and both bring some needed comedy and tension to the musical.
As Captain von Trapp, Bruce Colligan hardly seems to connect with Maria, and his performance seems one note. He has a wonderful voice, and perhaps he suffers from the way the part is written since he seems to change opinions in mid-song several times. Also rather troubling was Julie Simmons as Sister Berthe. While she is a comic element in the show, she seems a little over the top in presenting what almost becomes a caricature of the strict but scatterbrained nun. As the Admiral Greg Blume seems hardly threatening and offers no foil for the main characters to fear.
Director Mary Ellen Ulrich has assembled a capable cast with good voices and nice stage presence, but sometimes it seems as if everything is much the same. Line the actors up downstage and have them sing. After a while it becomes a little monotonous. The choreography by Jimmy Ulrich was serviceable if a little clunky in parts. Ashlie Schlatweiler, the music director did a very nice job bringing the familiar songs to life and all in all the singing was really outstanding. My biggest complaint about this production is that it has prerecorded music instead of a live orchestra; it sounds rather fake and sometimes is too loud, drowning out the singers. Also there were a few minor glitches in set changes on opening night. Between the final number and the curtain call, the audience sat in a darkened theater wondering what to do. Hopefully, these will be rectified as the run progresses.
“The Sound of Music” continues through Sunday at Peoria Players Theatre. Tickets, and more information, are available at peoriaplayers.org.