Head to the Hills of Northport for "The Sound of Music"

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's The Sound of Music opened at the last week. Based on the memoirs of Maria Von Trapp, the show is the winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. A celebration of song and the resilience of the human spirit, The Sound of Music will set your heart soaring, and is the perfect way to usher in the holiday season with family and friends.

More than 100 children from across Long Island auditioned and seeing the faces of so many local youngsters, who are clearly having the time of their lives, ups the entertainment ante.

The story, which is set in Austria in the summer of 1937, revolves around the free-spirited Maria Rainer. Although she is  a postulate at Nonnberg Abbey, Maria is clearly unready to commit to the  monastic way of life.

Her superior, Mother Abbess, suggests that Maria gain perspective on the world outside the abbey by filling in as a governess at the Von Trapp estate.

Captain Von Trapp's brood of seven children are an unruly, headstrong bunch who have been cared for by a succession of governesses. Unable to come to grips with his wife's death, the Captain distances himself from his children by being a strict disciplinarian.

Although music has been forbidden at the Von Trapp estate, Maria re-introduces the children to the joys of singing, and wins them over in the process. Romance enters the picture when sparks fly between Maria and the Captain, even though he is courting Baroness Elsa Schraeder. As the threat of Nazi take-over of Austria mounts and the world titters on war, Maria and the Von Trapp family's inner fortitude will be tested.

The show is directed with great finesse by Paul Stancato. Alison Walla, who stars as Maria, previously appeared in Engeman's Fiddler on the Roof. Theater-goers will immediately be taken with Walla who has a glorious voice and a stage presence to match. Rob Gallagher, who played Bill Sykes in Oliver, is aptly cast as the stern patriarch transformed by a second chance at love. Felicia Finley, who was a stand-out as Lola in Damn Yankees, infuses her role as the baroness with humor and flamboyance. Roger E. DeWitt, a wheeler-dealer who seizes the opportunity to use the Von Trapp children in a music festival, is a master of comic timing and delivers some of the show's funniest lines.

The children's roles are generally double-cast. Talented youngsters include Dylan and Zoe Perles of East Northport, whose theatrical journey began at the Northport- East Northport Community Theater.

Dylan, who exudes tremendous confidence in the role of Marta which she alternates with Madison Barrett, previously appeared in Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof, and A Wonderful Life at Engeman.  Little sister Zoe is equally adorable as the youngest Von Trapp, Gretl, a role which she shares with nine-year-old Natalie Seus of Northport.

Northporters Nell Worden and Karlie Kohler alternate as Louisa Von Trapp.

The children are delightfully costumed by Janell Berté. While all infuse their roles with their own  unique  personae, you'll be particularly taken with Justine Ré, who plays the romantically curious Liesl, and 11-year-old Lee Eden who plays the outspoken Brigitta Von Trapp.

Kudos go to Jonathan Collins whose set does remarkable double duty as the Nonnberg Abbey and the Von Trapp estate. To showcase the storyline and the colorful characters who animate the stage, Collins chose the color gray for the interior walls, floor and other architectural accoutrements.

The fact that his treatment of these surfaces is ambiguous further engages the audience's imagination.

" My initial thought was aged plaster, however it also could read as marble (Trapp family estate ) or concrete ( the abbey). So it's really whatever one thinks it is," Collins said.

According to Collins, the mountains symbolize possibility, escape and the outside world, and so a lush painted mural depicting the distant Alps bathed in mist, rendered by scenic artist Sonoka Fukuma Gozelski, is the set's visual focal point. The mural is skillfully lit by Christopher Ash to add drama and nuance, Collins added.

The songs are unbeatable, and you will be hard-pressed to choose a favorite with classics like "Do-Re-Mi," "My Favorite Things," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," and of course, "The Sound of Music."

For me, the showstopper was the endearing "So Long, Farewell" sung by the Von Trapp children during an evening gala hosted by the Captain.

 Kudos go to Music Director, Mike Pettry, who always does a remarkable job.

The Sound of Music runs through Jan. 16. Tickets can be purchased at the theater's box office, by calling 261-2900 or visiting www.engemantheater.com.

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