Toronto Comes Alive with The Sound of Music Oct. 3; Moses and MacKenzie Star

By Kenneth Jones
03 Oct 2008

Elicia MacKenzie
Elicia MacKenzie
Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

The Canadian premiere of the recent Andrew Lloyd Webber-produced London revival of The Sound of Music plays its first performance Oct. 3 in Toronto. As in London, the "Maria" was cast in a reality TV competition.

At the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, newcomer Elicia MacKenzie — who won the CBC-TV audition "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" — plays governess Maria von Trapp opposite Broadway veteran Burke Moses as Capt. von Trapp. Opening night is Oct. 15.

The Jeremy Sams-directed cast of 51, previously announced by producers Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and David Mirvish, includes Noëlla Huet as the Mother Abbess; Stratford Festival vet Keith Dinicol as Max; Shaw Festival, Stratford and Toronto Mamma Mia! alumnus Blythe Wilson as the Baroness; Megan Nuttall, a recent graduate of the University of Western Ontario, as Liesl; Jeff Irving as Rolf; Jennie Such as Sister Sophia; Mary-Ellen Mahoney as Sister Margaretta; Jayne Lewis as Sister Berte; John Robinson as Admiral von Schreiber; Denise Oucharek as Frau Zeller; James Kall as Franz; Deborah Overes as Frau Schweiger; Brigitte Robinson as Frau Schmidt; and Warren Kimmel as Herr Zeller.

The rest of the von Trapp children, who are double-cast, with each performing four shows per week, consist of (oldest to youngest): Frederich, played by Spencer Walker and Simeon Vivian; Louisa, played by Emily Hawton and Michaela Snoyer; Kurt, played by Michael Murphy and Matthew Tissi; Brigitta, played by Libby Adams and Ana Golja; Marta, played by Camden Angelis and Addison Holley; and Gretl, played by Mia Vanwyck-Smart and Amariah Faulkner.

The ensemble includes Marianne Bindig, Josée Boudreau, Patrick Cook, Ian Farthing, Stephen Findlay, Neil Foster, Nigel Hamer, Megan Latham, Doug MacLeod, Janet Martin, Frayne McCarthy, Anwyn Musico, Ann O'Kane, Imali Perera, Louie Rosetti, Ted Simonett, Ashley Taylor, Deborah Tennant, Carrie Wiebe, Denise Williams, Andrea Wingelaar and Seana-Lee Wood.

The Sound of Music, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (suggested by "The Trapp Family Singers" by Maria Augusta Trapp), is one of the most popular musicals of all time. It bowed on Broadway in 1959 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1960. Mary Martin won the Tony as Best Actress in a Musical. It was Hammerstein's final Broadway show; he died during the run, in August 1960. The film starring Julie Andrews won the Best Picture Academy Award in 1965. The musical was revived on Broadway in 1998, borrowing songs and structural elements from the film (the movie's "Something Good" and "I Have Confidence," with lyrics and music by Rodgers were added).

The score includes "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Edelweiss," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Sixteen Going On Seventeen," "The Lonely Goatherd" and the title song.

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Leading the cast in the role of Maria is newcomer MacKenzie, who will perform the role six times a week, alternating with Janna Polzin, another popular contestant on the TV program (she'll perform twice weekly).

The production at Toronto's Princess of Wales is overseen by the same, award-winning creative team as in London: director Jeremy Sams, choreographer Arlene Philips and designer Robert Jones.

In 2006, producers Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian opened a new production of The Sound of Music at the London Palladium (also starring a reality TV series winner). It was the first major revival in London since the West End premiere in 1961.

The Princess of Wales Theatre 300 King Street West. For more information, visit www.soundofmusiccanada.com.