Abby Alder as Maria in POW in the Park’s The Sound of Music (Photo by Denis Dean)
By Aaron Krause
“You will sit in a swivel chair and the show will take place all around you, all over the park,” Plays of Wilton (POW) Artistic Director Ronnie Larsen said about its upcoming free outdoor theater production of The Sound of Music May 7 through June 9 in Richardson Park in Wilton Manors.
The classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical will mark POW’s second “POW in the Park” production. In March, POW presented A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
“We had 2,000 people attend our first show at Mickel Park and some nights we had over 400 people there,” Larsen says. “But The Sound of Music at Richardson Park is going to be different because at Richardson Park we only have 100 available seats a night, and they’re swivel chairs that we provide. (There is) no need to bring your own chair this time. You will sit in a swivel chair and the show will take place all around you, all over the park.
“When I first discovered Richardson Park, I looked around and realized it was the perfect setting for a 360-degree production of this classic,” Larsen said. “The park literally had everything we needed – a house, a staircase, a gazebo, a wooded grove. But we always want to add that special POW! element too, so that’s when it dawned on me – we needed to incorporate swivel chairs.”
While the first several performances at Richardson Park, 1937 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors are sold out (you can join a waiting list), people will next be able to reserve tickets for performances from May 19-25. They will be available starting May 12. To RSVP, go to https://www.powinthepark.com. POW will release tickets for four performance dates at a time. The organization encourages audiences to bring blankets and food. POW also encourages ride sharing due to limited parking.
Ticket holders must RSVP within 24 hours of the performance and arrive at the park 20 minutes before showtime, which is 7 p.m.
While Rodgers and Hammerstein created the show’s unforgettable score, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse wrote the libretto inspired by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp.
The Sound of Music, which opened on Broadway in 1959, won five 1960 Tony Awards, including for Best Musical.
Many people are also familiar with the show from the iconic 1965 film starring Julie Andrews as Maria Rainer. She is a free-spirited young Austrian woman studying to become a nun at Nonnberg Abbey. However, her youthful enthusiasm and lack of discipline concerns the Mother Superior. And, so, the older woman sends Maria to the villa of retired naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp. There, her assignment is to serve as the new governess to von Trapp’s seven children – Lisel, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl.
The captain has been raising his children using strict military discipline following his wife’s death; the youngsters have scared way several governesses by playing tricks. Although the children initially misbehave with Maria, she responds with kindness and patience. Soon, the children come to trust and respect her. Maria brings back music, joy, and love to the von Trapp household. She wins the hearts of the children, and eventually, the captain’s as well. However, as Maria and the captain fall in love and marry, the rise of the Nazi regime threatens the family’s happiness. Ultimately, the von Trapps must decide whether to conform, or escape over the mountains to freedom.
This year, The Sound of Music celebrates its 60th anniversary, marking six decades since the film’s premiere on March 2, 1965.
Themes such as art’s ability to heal and empower, finding your niche, standing up to injustice, moving on following a tragedy, as well as the importance of family and community should resonate with many.
The cast features Abbey Alder as Maria, Noah Peacock as Capt. von Trapp, Irma Gloria as Mother Abbess, Michael Small as Max, Camille Schiavano as Elsa, Desir Dumerjuste as Rolf, Betty Ann Hun Strain as Frau Schmidt, Don Bearden as Franz, Nicole Hulett as Liesl, Kaden Pesaturo as Friedrich, McKayla Pesaturo as Luisa, Jackson Goddard as Kurt, Lily Rose Shytle as Brigitta, Haily Dalton as Marta, Emily Brievyte as Gretl, Allie Woodside as Sister Margaretta, Kallie Courakos as Sister Bertha, Leslie Kandel as Sister Sophia and Hans Foy as Herr Zeller.
Ronnie Larsen is the Director, Norman Extract is the Executive Producer, Jack Stein is the Producer, Harry Redlichis the Assistant Director/Casting Director, David Taustine is the Music Director, Tim Bowman is the Costume Designer, Isabella Shellbeck is the Dance Coordinator, Edgar Moldonado is the Props Manager, Leslie Erin is the Stage Manager, Scott Jordan is the Volunteer Coordinator, Public Relations is by Steven Some and Daniel DeMello, Jeff Walters is the Theater Manager, Joe Guidetti is the Associate Producer, and Caryn Horwitz is the General Manager.
POW in the Park’s inspiration is theater icon Joe Papp’s Public Theater in New York City. For more than 60 years, it has operated on the principles that live theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone.
POW in the Park plans to offer a variety of theatrical productions in various venues throughout the City of Wilton Manors. POW is presenting The Sound of Music in partnership with the City of Wilton Manors and with financial support from The Warten Foundation. Others interested in donating future projects can email RonnieLarsenPresents@gmail.com.
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