Austinites, there are only two more weekends to see The Sound of Music at Sheffield Hillside Theater in Zilker Park. You don’t want to miss it!
This 54th annual Zilker summer musical runs Thursday through Sunday evenings during July and early August. Admission is not charged (except $5 for car parking) but cast members do collect donations during intermission. Over 60,000 are expected to attend this summer’s performances. I hear that some folks show up in the early afternoon to put their blanket down and claim their spot on the hillside. Considering that yesterday’s high temperature was 100 degrees, these early-birds must be dedicated musical theater fans, faithful friends, loving family members, or lunatics. Most people arrive about an hour before the show’s start time around dusk (8:30 PM).
I am a big fan of the movie and have been known to enter The Sound of Music costume contests but I don’t remember seeing the stage play before. The play was very similar to the movie with a few additional songs. The first half was long (90 minutes) but ended on a literal high note with “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” The second half was much shorter but it was getting late and so the audience was noticeably smaller after intermission.
I must rave about the excellent cast. Michelle Hache and Joshua Denning are now my second-favorite-ever Maria and Captain Von Trapp. Coty Ross as Mother Abbess left us teary-eyed at the end of the first act. All of the Von Trapp children were cute and talented.
Bravo to Zilker Theatre Productions for an outstanding 2012 summer musical!