Follow your dreams with “The Sound of Music” at the Opera House Players

EAST WINDSOR — The East Windsor hills are alive with “The Sound of Music,” the classic musical about Maria, the captain, and the kids.
Producing a musical that is so familiar to so many because of the timeless musical and famous 1965 film “The Sound of Music,” starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, is a double-edged sword.
The songs are ingrained into our social unconscious, and for a good reason — they are delightful — but the risk is that the production could easily pale by comparison.
Fortunately, that is not a problem for the Opera House Players’ production. This cast does a smashing job of putting on a seamless, well-rehearsed entertainment, lead by the near-perfect Rosanne Sweeney, as Maria Rainer, who has a clarion, clear voice with terrific enunciation, along with an innocent honest and intelligence that really could not be better.
Set just before World War II, the German Nazi’s are about to invade Austria. Maria is a young novice studying to become a nun in a convent and is sent to be a governess for a wealthy widower, Capt. Von Trapp’s seven children. She and Von Trapp fall in love and decide to flee Austria before the Third Reich takes over.
Unlike the film, the musical begins with an a capella preludium sung in complex yet glorious harmony by the nuns that really sets the high bar for the rest of the show to follow.
Dallas Hosmer plays Capt. Von Trapp with a stern stiffness and fine presence. He is especially appealing when relating to the children. And, as anyone who has ever seen the movie knows, there are lots of children, and they comprise much of the show.
This impressively large cast is even bigger than it appears, because director Patrique Hurd took on the Herculean task of having two complete children casts.
The eight youth roles are played on alternate nights by 15 children, playing the roles of Rolf Gruber, Liesl, Rolf, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl, with only the role of Fredrich being played by one actor, Conor Ellis.
If Saturday night’s performance is any indication, all the children are enchanting and delightful, but some of the kids, as well as some of the adult performers (who should really know better) occasionally stole indulgent glances at the audience — a definite no-no.
Brianna Mello as the wealthy Elsa Scraeder and Gary Rhone as the self-serving sarcastic Max Detweiler are well cast with plenty of personality between the two. They do the best they can with less than memorable songs.
Nina McFerrin plays the Mother Superior of the convent, Mother Abbess, with a compassionate understanding. She also has a lovely singing voice, and gets to belt out the gorgeous, heart-stirring song “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”
Songs like “Do-Re-Me,” “My Favorite Things,” “So Long, Farewell,” “Sixteen going on Seventeen,” “Edelweiss,” and of course the perennial “The Sound of Music” are all sung with heart and soul, with strong musical direction by Michael Gowdy.
The choice to have Maria and the children sing “The Lonely Goatherd,” and perform the darling puppet show below the stage level was not the best idea, because the children could not be seen beyond the front row.
The many costumes by Solveig Pflueger are outstanding, particularly when the children are dressed in their curtain-play clothes, and then in their travel outfits at the end of the show.
Sadly this show is closing Sunday. “The Sound of Music” is a joyful, exuberant production that will put a song in your heart and just might encourage you to follow your dreams.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

3½ Stars
Theater: Opera House Players
Location: 107 Main Street, Broad Brook
Production: Story by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Music by Richard Rodgers. Directed by Patrique Hurd. Musical direction by Michael Gowdy. Staged managed by Khara C. Hoyer. Technical direction by George Fields. Costumes by Solveig Pflueger. Lighting design by Diane St. Amand.
Running time: Under 3 hours, including a 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 17.
Tickets: $20, seniors over 60 and youth under 12 pay $16. Call 860-292-6068 or visit their website at www.operahouseplayers.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Rosanne Sweeney … Maria Rainer
Dallas Hosmer … Capt. Von Trapp
Nina McFerrin … Mother Abbess
Brianna Mello … Elsa Scraeder
Gary Rhone … Max Detweiler