SEATTLE — The 5th Avenue Theatre’s holiday offering is a fun and family friendly version of Rodgers &Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music.”
If you can’t get in before Christmas, you have until Jan. 3 to see this classic musical.
Even for diehard fans of the Julie Andrews/Christopher Plummer film, this production proves itself to be well done.
The show opens and closes with the voices of the nuns of the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg, Austria, before the start of World War II.
The women of the talented ensemble join 5th veteran Anne Allgood as Mother Abbess and the primary Sisters (Frances Leah King, Jayne Muirhead and Carol Swarbrick) to produce a beautiful female chorus, a true highlight of the show.
A local young woman named Maria, who hopes to become a nun at the abbey, is sent to serve as a nanny for a widowed Austrian captain’s seven children. She doesn’t become a nun, and you probably know the rest of the famous story.
Maria is played by Seattle actor Kirsten deLohr Helland, whose most recent credits include Eponine in Village Theatre’s “Les Miserables,” Rizzo in “Grease” at the 5th and Siren in “Lizard Boy” at Seattle Repertory. Her Maria’s chemistry with the von Trapp children is outstanding.
Capt. von Trapp is ably played by Hans Altwies, who previously performed at the 5th as Bill Sykes in “Oliver.”
Of the children, most notable is Shaye Hodgins, who does a great job as Liesl, and Mark Jeffrey James Weber (last year’s Ralphie in “A Christmas Story”) as Friedrich.
Also notable are Jessica Skerritt (last year’s mother in “A Christmas Story”) as the Baroness Elsa Schrader, David Pichette as the concert promoter Max Detweiler and Lori Larsen as Frau Schmidt, the von Trapp family’s housekeeper. It was fun to see Pichette and Larsen, who made their names close to 40 years ago with the now-gone Empty Space Theatre, still working in professional theater. Empty Space was one of the theater groups that helped catapult Seattle into its current standing as one of the best theater cities in the country.
As always, the 5th ensemble’s singing and dancing is wonderful, the sets, lights, costumes are pleasing and the orchestra is outstanding.
Go and enjoy ”My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
If you go
Rodgers &Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” plays the 5th Avenue Theatre through Jan. 3. Tickets start at $29. For information, go to www.5thavenue.org, call the box office at 206-625-1900 or visit the theater at 1308 5th Ave., Seattle.
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