Rogers and Hammerstein’s production of The Sound of Music is the classic story of Maria Von Trapp, a not so good nun who finds herself in the charge of seven free-spirited children who can sing and wish their father would be at home more often. When the Germans invade Austria in 1938, the captain, his wife and seven (now better behaved) children must flee their homeland to keep the captain from being “offered” a position in the German navy.

It was an enthusiastic production performed by the Pied Piper Team on Sunday afternoon. The full orchestra and a good microphone projection system made the songs understandable, despite the occasional glitch. The cast was enjoyable to watch and looked like they were having a great time performing in front of a live audience.

Sarah Jane Scott as Maria was believable in her role as the awkward, unsure governess to seven out of control children. Scott used her strong voice and emotions to gain confidence to win the respect, and later love, of the Von Trapp children as well as the Captain. The captain, played by David Johnson, was a good match for Maria. His emotion was real and his song “Edelweiss” sung during the competition was heartfelt and sincere. He and Scott seemed comfortable with each other as we watched their love grow. Lauren Goldfarb as Elsa was able to strike the right amount of cattiness towards Maria while still being able to play up to the Captain. The scheming of Uncle Max was played with zest by Andrew Perry. All of the supporting cast down to Gretl, the youngest Von Trapp singer, made their parts their own.

Scene changes were smooth, although white shoes were very obvious beneath the curtains, darker colored shoes would be much less noticeable. Val Nelson’s costumes were lively.

One thing to keep in mind is Sunday afternoon’s performance lasted nearly three and a half hours, including a long intermission. The Sound of Music is a family friendly show the whole family will love and can sing along to for days to come.

Photo Gallery

The Von Trapp Family children from front to back: Kimberly Geipel, Jamie Unrath, Brooke Miller, Rachel Rollins, Tommy Richman, Lexi Frilles, and David Capen	The Von Trapp children
Capt. von Trapp – David Johnson; Maria – Sarah Jane Scott; the von Trapp children: top to bottom- David Capen, Kimberly Geipel, Lexi Frilles (understudy), Tommy Richman, Rachel Rollins, Brooke Miller, Jamie Unrath	Sarah Jane Scott as Maria and David Johnson as Captain Von Trapp dance the Laendlern, an Austrian folk dance.

Photos by Louise Noakes

Disclaimer: Pied Piper Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

• Charlotte’s Web, November 2010 Schedule
• Disney’s Mulan Jr., January 2011 Schedule
• The Sound of Music, May 2011 Schedule

Schedule is subject to change due to performance rights conflicts or other issues.