“The Sound of Music”

rating=4] The hills are alive in Aurora. Yes, the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, that jewel box of  theatrical splendor is now doing the classic musical from  Rogers & Hammerstein, “The Sound of Music”. For many it seemed strange that just about a year after Marriott did this play, another regional theater would put on the same show. One must think about regional theater, and if so, we would have to consider the number of South Suburban and West Suburban theater audiences who do not venture to the North Shore ( for anything) and vice versa. Therefore it is not as strange as it might seem.

Those of you who listen to me on the radio know that I always say that a play can be done by different directors on a different stage with a different cast and the entire production will be unique and unto its own. This is very much the case when we talk about these two productions. Marriott is an in-the-round theater while Paramount is a traditional proscenium stage. The set designed by  Jeffrey D. Kmiec at Paramount is a masterpiece and should be up for a Jeff Award. The production is directed by Amber Mak who also handles the choreography and I loved that she included many of the little throwaway scene changes. They add to the show and make the flow of action work far better than when not employed.

I would hope that most of you know the story suggested by the book, “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Von Trapp, detailing her story from Postulate to Nursemaid to step-Mother and creator of the Von Trapp Singers. HowardLindsay and Russel Crouse wrote the book that is the play version. From day one, Paramount has mounted quality productions and this just continues this tradition. From start to finish , this longer than normal musical holds the audience spellbound, one musical work after another moving the story along to the conclusion where they become the Von Trapp Family Singers and escape the Nazis that have taken over Austria.

This musical relies on 7 talented children to make it a success and Mak and her staff found some of the best. Liesl, the eldest is played to perfection by Julia Aragon. The other kids are double cast: Friedrich (Gage Richey/ Brody Tyner), Louisa ( Maddie Morgan/Kara Rivera), Kurt ( Charlie Long/ Ezekiel Ruiz), Brigitta ( Genvieve Jane/Milla Liss), Marta ( Avelyn Choi/ Savannah Lumar) and little Gretl ( Ava Barabasz/ Lena Soszynski). I am unsure of which played today’s matinee, but those on the stage for all performances are of equal quality for sure. These kids were amazing! Michael Harp is a strong Rolf, the young man for whom Liesl has a crush. I believe that this is a role he truly loves playing.

A production this huge in undertaking needs secondary players, some of which are the smallest of roles, however, without them, the picture is like a jigsaw puzzle with  unfiled spaces, so the ensemble makes this show complete. We cannot forget the nuns. Never forget the nuns. Liz Pazik, Sophie Grimm and Harriet Nzinga Plumpp who bring us the description of this postulant via “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria”, one of  many wonderful songs written by these masters of musical theater. “The Sound of Music”, “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”, “How Can Love Survive”, Edelweiss”, “Do-Re-Mi” ,”My Favorite Things” and many more. Kory Danielson and the Paramount Orchestra filled the theater with these great sounds and thanks to Adam Rosenthal, we were all able to hear every word. The tech was up to their usual work with the lighting (Jose Santiago), costumes (Theresa Ham- I loved the kids play clothes) and props (Jesse Gaffney) all being perfect.

Maria (Alicia Kaori) has a powerful voice that can swing your mood with just her sound. You can see why she is playing this role and the Mother Abbess is brought to life by Chiacgo favorite Susan Moniz who may have been born to one day play this role. When she brings us ” “Climb Every Mountain” to end the first act, I am pretty sure if we were not going to intermission, she would have had a standing ovation. Captain Von Trapp is played by Christopher Kale Jones who seemed a bit off to start, but as the performance went on he became a little stronger and by the time he realized that Maria was the perfect mate, he was very real! His fiancée Elsa (  Emile Lynn) is admirable but I never felt the sparks that there should have been as she was there to rescue the Captain from his never-ending search for raising his children. Captain Von Trapp’s friend Max was played to perfection by Stephen Schellhardt and the other members of the staff, Franz, the butler (Ron E. Rains) and Frau Schmidt (Rengin Altay) bring the flavor of the period to the stage.

“The Sound Of Music” will continue at The Paramount Theatre located at 23 East Galena Blvd. in Aurora thru January 15th ( great holiday fare). Performances are a bit different than normal due to the holidays but for the most part:

Wednesdays  1:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sundays   1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

To order tickets call 630-896-6666 or visit www.Paramountaurora.com

Running time is 2 hours and 45 minutes including one intermission. The intermission can vary depending on the audience needs .

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round Up and click at “The Sound Of Music

all photos Liz Lauren