Rodgers and Hammerstein’s final collaborative musical The Sound of Music continues to capture hearts young and old via Broadway, movies, live TV and theater showings. The stage musical version is particularly meaningful to Waukesha Civic Theatre’s Managing Artistic Director John Cramer. “First of all, I love Rodgers and Hammerstein, and The Sound of Music is my favorite of their shows,” he says. “I was in the show when I was 12 years old as Kurt von Trapp, so I have very fond memories of that experience, and now being able to direct and choreograph it is exceptionally rewarding.”
Cramer is working with a 31-member cast and 15-member production staff and crew to bring this show to life. “I think the most unique thing about any live show is the people who make it happen,” he says. “We have created a unique version of this show simply by being who we are. It’s a great group of people and about half of them are new to Waukesha Civic Theatre. I love it when that happens, as I think that is what being a community theater is all about.”
The original Broadway production, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, opened Nov. 16, 1959, and after listening to the original Broadway cast recording earlier this week, Cramer shares, “I think our singers are better than the originals in every role. I have worked on dozens of musicals and this group of singers may be the best vocalists I have ever had together in one show. There is no reason to miss this fantastic show.”
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
The Sound of Music will be performed at Waukesha Civic Theatre (264 W. Main St., Waukesha), Sept. 12-28, with three “pay what you can” performances held at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 and 25, and at 2 p.m. on Sept. 27. For more information and tickets, call 262-547-0708 or visit waukeshacivictheatre.org.
THEATRE HAPPENINGS:
■ The longest running play in history (more than 60 years) comes to Sunset Playhouse. Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is a classic whodunit murder-mystery about a group of people snowed in at Monkswell Manor. Show runs Sept. 11-28 at 800 Elm Grove Road, Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com
■ American cartoonist Charles Addams gave us the Addams family and the characters have become so popular that they traverse multiple media, including theater. The stage show, The Addams Family Musical, tells the story of grown-up Wednesday bringing her “normal” boyfriend home to meet the family. The show runs Sept. 12-28 at Theatre Unchained, 1024 S. Fifth St. For tickets, call 414-391-7145 or visit theatreunchained.com.
■ From Mitch Albom, author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays With Morrie, comes Duck Hunter Shoots Angel, a humorous play following two hapless duck hunters that touches on themes including redemption, race, media and North vs. South. The show runs at the Racine Theatre Guild (2519 Northwestern Ave., Racine) Sept. 12-28. For tickets, call 262-633-4218 or visit racinetheatre.org.
