Monday, April 7, 2003 | 8:23 a.m.
Nancy Andersen Weakley as Maria and the seven von Trapp children make "The Sound of Music" vibrantly alive.
Weakley's training at Boston Conservatory (master's degree, 1996) -- and experience as Christine in "Phantom of the Opera" and Irene Malloy in "Hello Dolly" from her days in New York, certainly contribute to the stage presence, charm and timing that make her interaction with other actors exciting.
Weakley's voice is expressive, full, versatile and warm. Her opening solo of the title song introduces her many talents. Her enthusiasm is contagious. When she is onstage, the production has pace, momentum and energy.
A third grade teacher at Betsy Rhodes Elementary School, Weakley obviously loves kids. She has extraordinary rapport with the seven very talented young people who portray the von Trapp children -- Debra Weed (Liesl), Giovanni Bonaventura (Friedrich), Christie Colombo (Louisa), Dylan Anderson (Kurt), Kassidy Welte (Brigitta), Calli Kern (Marta) and Taryn Earl (Gretl).
All seven can sing, dance and act. Weed is a delightful "16 going on 17," with a lovely voice, pretty face and carefree style. Bonaventura combines boyish charm and teenage bravado and has a fine voice that triggered audience applause when he hit a very high note in "So Long, Farewell" as the children bid good night to guests at a ball.
Colombo is sweet; Anderson -- who, in real life has six siblings -- is determined; Welte, sassy and spunky; Kern, chirpy; and Earl, a scene stealer, as is usually the case with the youngest in a family. She does a cartwheel, lands in a splits, raises her arms ... and waits for applause. She gets it.
Two great musical numbers for Maria and the children are "Do-Re-Mi" -- in which the children pop up from behind the sofa like jacks-in-the-box when it is their turn to sing, and "The Lonely Goatherd" -- a rambunctious romp with Maria in her room during a thunder storm.
James Horrocks as Captain George von Trapp is trim and erect as befits a Navy officer. But somehow the part doesn't fit him. His voice, both singing and speaking, is pleasant but constrained. His bearing in the first act is stilted rather than authoritarian.
Even after he realizes that he loves Maria and values his children, his demeanor lacks emotion. His best moments were when he was fighting with Maria -- a great scene -- and dancing with her, or carrying Gretl on his shoulders.
The chorus of Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey is excellent, whether singing in Latin or English. They open the play with a powerful a cappella "Preludium."
They also shine throughout the show with well-blended sound and balanced harmony. As Mother Abbess, Julie Bird is well cast. She is properly firm, yet empathetic, toward Maria. Her voice is strong and inspirational and especially effective in the lower range, but stretched by the higher notes.
Del Mario Dody performs robustly as Max Detweiler, the entrepreneur who arranges the festival at which the von Trapp family sings, and from which they escape the Nazis over the Alps. Laurie Caceras as Elsa Schraeder not only sings well but interprets the part of the selfish, self-centered, snobbish Baroness to a T.
As Rolf Gruber, Liesl's boyfriend, Joseph Wheeler is caring, as well as convincing later as a young Gestapo recruit. He's tall and has a good voice. He and Weed pair well in the delightful "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" duet.
All in all, the cast of more than 40 puts on a very enjoyable production. The costumes, set and props, all provided by Fullerton Civic Light Opera, are marvelous, especially the sets -- an impressive Abbey backdrop with ceiling to floor shafts of light, grand Alpine scenery with snow-capped mountains, a two-story living room and the terrace of the von Trapp home, the garden/cemetery at the Abbey where the von Trapps hide from the Nazis.
Choreography by Emily Ellis, with assistance from Even Lit, is attractive, but cramped on the limited stage.
A live 10-piece orchestra under the direction of musical director Shauna Oblad provides excellent accompaniment. The lyrics, which add significantly to the enjoyment of the show, are well articulated.
"The Sound of Music" is directed by Leslie Fotheringham. It has many inventive moments -- including storm troopers with flashlights running up the aisles of the dark theater searching for the family. However, a faster pace and quicker uptake between the actors in several scenes would improve the tempo and style of the production.
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