Staging THE SOUND OF MUSIC (TSOM) seems like a good economic decision in a world reeling from pandemic financial (and personal) loss. Then again, it's a gamble of another kind as well. Firstly, will people go and see the show, when there's the amazing Julie Andrews 1965 film version readily available on YouTube? And supposing they ARE willing to shell out for the whole lovely experience of a night at the Samsung Performing Arts Center (which is so new, the art work, the ceilings, heck even the TOILETS seem to shine), then there is the price of fame to consider: There is an element of danger in performing something that most audience members will know by heart already. Can one even hope to meet great expectations?
And then there's the extra price of entry. Local theater fans always face a quandary when faced with an international touring act: is it worth shelling out extra money for? Previous shows have been judged harshly, as these lines from a familiar refrain go: "Oh well the technical aspect, the props, the lighting, were great. The acting and singing? So-so. * Insert name of local musical theater talent * would have done so much better."
This audience member is happy to sing ALLELUIA along with the nuns of Nonnburg, as last night's gala performance certainly blew all of our fears away! YES it IS worth the ticket price, as what TSOM has is that rare balance of musical, acting and technical excellence that rarely graces local stages!
TSOM rises and falls with its two female stars: Maria and the Mother Abbess. Jill-Christine Wiley as the lovely nun-to-be was a revelation! A petite machine so scary in her mastery of her instrument, she produces perfect sounds that seem like they were made in a studio recording! This was especially highlighted when she sang arguably the most vocally challenging song in the musical, The Lonely Goatherd (one of many delightful cases of the song in the musical NOT performed in the expected scene), taking it in a slower tempo that made audiences appreciate all the more the vocal polyphony on display, with a soaring descant that would make Julie Andrews proud!
I had seen an early preview video of Lauren Kidwell singing the immortal Climb Every Mountain, and actually came in scared that the artistic choice to embrace a more "pop" style would be the order of the evening. And so I was extremely grateful to witness the incredible soprano embrace the more classical / Golden Age performance practice style on performance night itself! For sure mine weren't the only eyes weeping happy tears, for Kidwell's powerful voice literally brought the curtain down and cut deep into all our hearts! It's unfair but unavoidable to compare everything to the movie version, but especially for this show ender song, it's better than in the movie!
Not all stars shine equally bright, and Trevor Martin's Captain Von Trapp (did you know that his first name was Georg?!) certainly paled beside his costars during the first act. Being a classically trained baritone, Martin's acting seemed to belong to the less nuanced/ more stylized acting school of opera, and seemed wooden and even inauthentic at times. My seatmates and I sent up prayers to the Heavens during intermission for the upcoming Edelweiss, and either God heard our prayers or Martin made vocal adjustments in the second act, because we're happy to report that his singing (accompanying himself on guitar) did justice to that crowd favorite. This audience member also suspects that Martin (like all classical singers), has a huge voice that does not lend itself well to artificial sound amplification (i.e. lapel mikes), and so the vibrato that was honed to be heard by audience three storeys up, without mikes, sounded "forced" when made to seem smaller. Oh, physics!
Another singer worth mentioning is the beautiful Karylle Tatlonghari. Being one of only two Filipino singer/actors in the production (the other being Markki Stroem as Rolf, who made National Socialism look awfully appealing LOL), it was a delight for us to discover that her Elsa had more songs than in the movie! It was my first time to hear her sing live, and I was struck by the beauty of her tones. Truly, Filipinos CAN sing! What we can have more of is the discipline of practicing technical aspects for thousands of hours, as the rest of the cast have done (which is only to be expected from a touring cast). And this is what this audience member hopes Karylle can improve on: spitting out her consonants more so that she would be more clearly understood in songs like How Can Love Survive, and being more consistent with what singers call "placement," so the dramatic shifts from high to low registers would sound a lot smoother. This is something that only practice can accomplish, and this reviewer looks forward to future performances of hers, as the timbre of her voice is truly lovely!
I was happily gazing around the audience, struck by how many members of the press brought their moms, or their sisters and brothers. I loved seeing all the happy families with the children in their Sunday best, yawning at the end for staying awake way past their bedtime for a treat to remember. Truly, TSOM is a FAMILY affair, and has a lot to offer even for the most jaded audience member. I was reminded of the universality of this musical, and count myself fortunate to have glimpsed its secret to immortality last night. One leaves TSOM with hearts lighter, with singing inside our souls. If that family could escape the most evil and efficient political party by climbing the mountains, then so can we climb the mountains in our own lives.
On a more personal note, I was struck anew by the sound of silence in my own life, when I was reminded why Captain Von Trapp forbade his children from singing at the start. It was borne out of mourning. And so I'm very thankful to the show for championing the cause of singing through war, through pain and shadow! And when we make music, we hope we make such tones as would make our dearly departed smile up in Heaven.
Thank you so much to the angels who gave me a ticket!
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