By Adelina Gonzalez, Staff Writer
KUSD theater does it again with their latest production of the school year, The Sound of Music.
The show opens with a young woman named Maria (Indian Trail High School and Academy junior Grace Vallis) who aspires to be a nun but finds herself doubting her place at the parish because of her love for singing. She goes off to be a nanny for the Austrian von Trapp family and finds herself falling in love with the children and Mr. von Trapp himself. While these events are occuring, the Nazis gain ground in Austria.
I want to start out by saying the set design for this production was phenomenal. The stained glass windows designed by IT senior Isabella Henry were a beautiful accompaniment to the pews that Indian Trail’s very own stagecraft class created for the opening scene.
The mountain backdrop from the opening scene and the von Trapp house were both eye pleasing and vibrantly colorful. The props and costume design were tasteful and fitting for the time period.
Theater director Robert ‘Bob’ Allen knows a thing or two about running a good show. The performance flowed without a hitch and the audio was balanced throughout the show. The actors, from the ensemble to the lead roles, were just wonderful. They hit every mark and never missed a beat.
At times the storyline hit on some serious themes, what with Nazis and the Third Reich taking over Austria, but to lighten the mood of those heavier scenes was the comic relief of character Max Detweiler. IT sophomore Connor Smith, who played Detweiler, had the audience laughing effortlessly.
The Sound of Music is a musical after all and I found the songs to be quite pleasing to the ear. Among my favorite musical performances were “Favorite Things,” a duet between Maria (Vallis) and head nun Mother Abbess (Jackie Labbe), “The Sound of Music” theme (Vallis), and “An Ordinary Couple,” a duet by Maria and Mr. von Trapp (Vallis and Nicholas Daly).
I admit, I’ve never been one to love musicals, but this truly was one of my favorite productions of the school year. I found myself laughing, smiling, and tapping my toe to these wonderful songs. With this being the last show for the seniors this year, it was definitely one to hold in high regard and most certainly one to remember.