A bland thumbs up gesture wouldn’t do the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) latest offering justice, nor would any star rating under five, for that matter. If only I had 16—going on 17—stars or thumbs to help illustrate my scoring.
I walked into the Marian Theatre confident that I would enjoy PCPA’s new iteration of The Sound of Music, but I couldn’t have anticipated the excessive amount of times an audible “aww” escaped my lips during the Saturday night performance. The material is iconic. The songs are endorphin-inducing. But none of that matters without a good cast, and PCPA’s ensemble checks that box in spades.
Emily Trask, as plucky postulant nun Maria, embodies the “drop of golden sun” lyric she sings during “Do-Re-Mi.” Her radiant, steadfast enthusiasm is consistently infectious throughout the show, set in 1938 Austria. When Maria is dispatched to serve as a governess for a large household, the family’s strict patriarch, Captain von Trapp, doesn’t respond warmly to her free-spirited demeanor—immediately, at least.
The widowed captain, played by the always engaging George Walker, treats his home like a military vessel. He often uses a whistle to summon his servants or call upon his seven children. I’m not going to beat around the bush. These kids steal the show every chance they get.
From youngest to oldest, the von Trapp children are Gretl (Camila Papincak), Marta (Kiera McGehee), Kurt (Alex Robertson), Brigitta (Joss Robertson), Louisa (Sophia Robertson), Friedrich (Nicolas Lo), and Liesl (Sierra Anastasi). The fastest way to tell if it’s the right time for a quiet, respectful dash to the restroom during the show is simply to check whether these youngsters are on stage. If they are, stay in your seat. You won’t want to miss a moment of “My Favorite Things,” “The Lonely Goatherd,” and other tunes in their lineup.
The youthful troop’s rendition of “So Long, Farewell” is especially joyous. I dare you to maintain a smileless poker face during the youngest von Trapp’s adorable delivery of “the sun has gone to bed and so must I.” It’s simply impossible.
As Maria grows closer to the von Trapp family (both the children and their father), the postulant fears that she has fallen in love with the captain, who is engaged to another woman, Elsa von Schraeder (Christen Celaya). Maria flees back to the nunnery without notice, but Mother Abbess (Lexi Rhoades) encourages her to follow her heart during one of the musical’s most powerful and moving songs, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”
“Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, till you find your dream,” Rhoades sings. “A dream that will need all the love you can give, every day of your life, for as long as you live.”
Maria returns to the family, of course, just in time for the von Trapp children to show off their singing prowess in a local music festival. The event takes place shortly after Nazi Germany’s historic annexation of Austria. The invasion provides a tense, unsettling backdrop for the musical’s surprising high-stakes final act.
The show’s director, Kitty Balay, described The Sound of Music at its core as “a beautiful story that’s full of heart and gorgeous music—one of the things that PCPA does best.” Balay recalled the theater’s ill-fated plans to originally premiere the show during the spring of 2020.
“We started designing this production three years ago before we had ever heard of COVID. Then just like the rest of the world—it all had to stop,” Balay said in a statement. “What a perfect show to bring families back together. The sound of singing and laughter of the von Trapp children will delight audiences of all ages, while the deeper themes of love, loyalty, and personal integrity make it absolutely timeless.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood could use some tea, jam, and bread right about now. Send notes to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 14-21, 2022.
