Have you ever had one of those weekends or evenings where you want to enjoy a feel-good musical and your significant other wants to take in something a little more socially conscious about people resisting fascists, Nazis and other assorted agents of oppression and evil?
Well, guess what? You can both have it your way when Broadway Philadelphia presents a new production of “The Sound of Music” April 24-28 at Merriam Theater.
The classic and beloved musical has never really left the hearts of fans since debuting as a Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical in 1959, then making the jump to the big screen in the form of a wildly successful motion picture in 1965. But with televised live versions of the musical hitting the airwaves in 2013 and 2015, renewed interest led to this updated production of the stage musical.
Out cast member Thanos Skouteris, told PGN that the somewhat-revamped production of “The Sound of Music” is meant to make the stage play flow more like a motion picture.
“From a technical standpoint, they’ve staged the play in a way that makes it very fluid and continuous, similar to how a movie would look,” he said. “The production design is just stunning. This tour is viewed through a modern eye, and there’s a sharpness or a freshness to it.”
As an ensemble cast member of the production, Skouteris plays a variety of roles, onstage, but said it’s the bad guys he enjoys portraying the most.
“I understudy everybody in the ensemble from the butler to the bad guys to Captain von Trapp,” he said. “I cover seven people in the production. My favorite role to perform is Herr Zeller. He’s the primary antagonist in the show. It’s fun as an actor because you get to dig into the darker side of the story. Everyone thinks of ‘The Sound of Music’ and the cheery songs and the happiness of it [but] it’s fun to be the person who brings the cloud to the party.”
Speaking of dark sides, in 2018 America, the idea of people pushing back against the machinations of fascists and Nazis has a renewed resonance, we hope, even if it comes in the form of a warm and fuzzy musical most generations associate with happy-go-lucky singalongs and images of Julie Andrews joyously twirling amid the Swiss Alps.
“It’s a nostalgic piece that people want to revisit from their childhood,” Skouteris said. “But it is definitely relevant in these times. It’s always been a relevant story about choosing what you think is right and doing the right thing, even in the face of adversity. But especially in today’s climate, I do think people recognize that more than they did a decade ago. Choosing music and love over everything else: Those are timeless themes. People want to see it, especially live, where it’s so visceral on stage right in front of you.” n
Broadway Philadelphia presents “The Sound of Music” April 24-29 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. For more information or tickets, call 215-893-1999 or visit thesoundofmusicontour.com.