SARASOTA – The Sound of Music debuts Sat., Nov. 16, at Asolo Rep, exactly 60 years after the opening of the original Broadway production.
Director & Choreographer Josh Rhodes says there’s something special about this production and set.
“It’s like this gorgeous surround that gives the show this sort of intimacy, and it sort of pulls out the drama and emotion,” Rhodes said.
Maddie Shea Baldwin plays Maria Rainer, a dream role since she was 10 years old.
“I played Brigitta in the fifth grade, and I just remember that was the moment I wanted to do this for the rest of my life,” Baldwin said.
She says it was the first time she felt at home on stage, a feeling she’s found in her journey as Maria at Asolo Rep.
“It feels full circle and intimidating for sure, at first, because I knew how important it was to me to look up to our Maria in fifth grade,” Baldwin said.
Tally Sessions plays Capt. Georg von Trapp, and says this musical is all new to him.
“In fact the first time I saw the movie was the day I got to Sarasota to start working on this,” Sessions said.
Rhodes says he hopes the show fills the audience with emotion and nostalgia.
“Somebody even said, ‘I’ve seen the show five times and there were parts of the show that seemed completely new to me,'” Rhodes said. “That, as a director, is the best compliment I can get.”
The Sound of Music runs thru Dec. 28. For tickets and more information, click here.
