Fulton Theatre Production of The Sound of Music

Magical, magical, magical…. I had that feeling that I have not felt in many years….like the first time I saw Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or Disney’s Cinderella. The sets, the costumes, the vocals that sent shivers down my spine….all of it magically transported me to the Von Trapp household during that time. And the magic did not stop there. Even as tried to sleep that night the music just played over and over again in my mind (cuckoo…cuckoo). I was truly blessed this holiday season to see one of the most memorable performances of my life time.

I have seen the movie of The Sound of Music several times with Julie Andrews but last Thursday night I felt as though I was seeing it for the first time. All the right ingredients to the perfect soufflé of the live stage performance of the Sound of Music was there…..the perfect sets, the great period costumes, perfectly timed orchestra, dead-on acting, a truly chemical romance brewing, and last but not least….the angelic vocals lifting you over the mountain’s clouds in Austria.

Move over Julie Andrews and Peggy Woods, The Fulton Theatre cast of Catherine Walker, April Woodall, and the ensemble delivered some stiff competition. I hate to compare the Fulton’s performance to the movie again and again but the acting in at the Fulton gave the live stage performance the added edge to make it magical and more compelling than the movie. Actors like Elisa Van Duyne who played the role of Baroness Elsa Schraeder gave me a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the times and subtle occurrences and inner actions of the Baroness and the Captain than the movie. Maria, portrayed by Lancaster native Catherine Walker was fuller of infectious life than Julie Andrews. And her vocals competed with Julie Andrews but acting delivery put her one notch above Julie Andrews. Walker and Van Duyne were by no means the only ones who delivered better acting performances at certain key moments than the 1965 movie.

Young and old a like will be absorbed by this performance; my mother in her mid-seventies was afraid that she appeared like an idiot grinning from ear to ear for 2 hours and 35 minutes. Instead of sitting there and critiquing each element as I usually do, I allowed myself to lifted to the Austrian highlands and let my soul sing along with the magical evening at the Fulton.

I will truly remember this holiday performance for many years to come.