Review: 'Sound Of Music' Doesn't Always Come Alive
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Introducing someone to live theater or to the Wagon Wheel Theatre is an interesting experience.
They get to experience live theater, theater in the round and "all that jazz" for the very first time.
Saturday, I had the opportunity to take my niece to the Wagon Wheel for "The Sound of Music." Being 21, she's seen shows before, but never at the Wagon Wheel, and I was interested in hearing her take on a live version of "The Sound of Music." She likes the movie version.
She said, "It was really good. Much better than I expected." She then said Jennie Sophia, as Maria, outperformed everyone else on stage. I couldn't disagree.
My niece had never seen Sophia before. I've seen every show she's done at the Wagon Wheel. And yet we came to the same conclusion. Sophia is the actor on stage whose performance all the other actors on stage must try to meet.
Anyone on stage has to bring their best game when they're opposite Sophia. She hits all her notes, has emotional range and really gets into her character.
Sophia played Maria the last time 'Music' came to the Wagon Wheel. That may have helped her get a heads up in her role, and is the best reason to go see "The Sound of Music" at the Wagon Wheel.
This isn't to say all the other actors were poor. I'm just saying, as my niece agreed, that Sophia has enormous talent on the stage, whether acting or singing.
Of course, if you go see "The Sound of Music" you will get to see where Sophia gets her talent. Her mom, Susan Hepler Yoder, plays Mother Abbess. And like her daughter, Yoder can sing. She best displays her strong vocal gift during the last song "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."
For anyone who hasn't seen a version of "The Sound of Music" - which is hard to believe - the Rodger's and Hammerstein's musical originally appeared on Broadway in 1959. The subsequent film starring Julie Andrews was made in 1965.
Playing the father, Captain Georg von Trapp, of the seven children in Wagon Wheel Theatre's production this holiday is Jake Klinkhammer.
Klinkhammer played Troy Bolton in Wagon Wheel's version of "High School Musical" earlier this year. He did very well then, and does just as well for this show.
However, I left wondering if there might have been a microphone problem. At times, I couldn't hear Klinkhammer and some of the other performers in the show, but especially Klinkhammer. He sings and acts well, so audiences should get the opportunity to hear everything he says and sings.
Even from Section 2, Row E, Seat 18 on Saturday, Klinkhammer's expressions and character portrayal were very clear. He can definitely play range in age, having played a teenager and an older man this year. He also expresses a lot with his eyes and eyebrows, as I noticed during Saturday's show. It will be interesting to see Klinkhammer in future productions at the Wagon Wheel.
As for the seven children, here's where my opinion differs from my niece's and perhaps others. She said they were good, I found them stale. The kids were cute, but smiling throughout every scene of the show, or showing no emotion at all, just isn't getting into character. I know, saying children weren't that great in a show is asking for grief, but I just wasn't impressed. The Wagon Wheel is a professional theater after all, and the children just weren't more than cute ornaments.
But there were plenty of adult roles to move the play forward and keep it entertaining.
As the nuns, Crystal Vanartsdalen, Jennifer Dow, Bekah Porterfield and Erin Vangemert were well cast.
For Dow, this is her second nun role this year, having performed as Sister Robert Anne in "Nunsense". In "Sound of Music," she plays Sister Margaretta and does it well.
Vanartsdalen is one of several actors who plays two roles in "Sound of Music". Besides playing the snooty and strict Sister Berthe, she also plays the helpful Frau Schmidt. Vanartsdalen, show after show, continues to impress with her acting and musical talent. One of these days, she's going to land that lead role she's more than proven she deserves. As for voice, she more than matches Sophia and Yoder. Put those three gifted ladies together, and what a sound you'd have.
Back to the Wagon Wheel for this show is Michael Vangemert as Max Detweiler. Max is a self-promoting opportunist, but he does help out the von Trapp family in the end, so somewhere he's got a heart. Vangemert, in the right role, has always impressed at the Wagon Wheel. He does a good job again as Max.
Playing some of the Nazi roles in this production are Will Burby as Franz the butler, David Glenwright as Rolf Gruber, Ian Christensen as Herr Zeller and Mike Yocum as Admiral von Schreiber/Baron Elberfeld.
Christensen does a very good job in his role. He's got that Nazi "attitude" that one would expect in his role. If this is his first role at the WWT, or if I don't remember him from anything else, he'll definitely be one you'll want to watch out for in the future.
Unfortunately, Glenwright doesn't do as well. At least on Saturday, I found his performance weaker than his roles this summer in "Brigadoon" and "A Chorus Line". Not sure what his problem was, but his performance fell flat to me.
Like Vanartsdalen, Vangemert had two roles, her bigger role being as Elsa Schraeder. Elsa is a rich woman who will play along to get along with the Nazi Regime. That causes conflict between her and the Captain. Vangemert played the role as Elsa well enough, but I ended up not overwhelmingly impressed.
Directing and choreographing this show is Scott Michaels. He certainly did well enough to make an entertaining show for my niece who made her first trip to the Wagon Wheel. But, having seen the show before at the theater, and having seen it this past season, which was one of the better ones, it just wasn't a "great" show.
The first half, especially, was too long.My niece said she'd give it 3-1/2 out of 4 stars; I'm going with 3 out of 4.
Remaining show dates and times are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.; Dec. 18-19 at 8 p.m.; and Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for children, $16 or students and $30 for adults.
For tickets, call 574-267-8041; toll free at 866-823-2618; or on the Web site at www.wagonwheeltheatre.com
