Favorite Things

The Yardley Players climb every mountain to produce ‘The Sound of Music’ at Kelsey Theatre

By: Megan Sullivan

"image"
Michaela Tomcho, front row center, plays Maria in The Sound of Music at the Kelsey Theatre.


   The von Trapp children practice singing, but their hearts aren’t into it. Things haven’t been the same ever since their governess, Maria, abruptly returned to her sisterhood studies. The seven children of widower Captain von Trapp are especially glum when he announces they’ll soon have a new mother — Baroness Elsa Schraeder.
   Dramatic tension mounts on a recent evening as members of the Yardley Players rehearse Act 2 of The Sound of Music. The production will hit Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre stage the weekends of July 13 and 20. The show is directed by Marge Swider and produced by Howard Matter, with musical direction by Pat Masterson and choreography by Paula Matthews.
   To the children’s surprise and relief, a suitcase-carrying Maria dashes in and joins them mid-song. Joy returns to the eyes of Liesl, Louisa, Brigitta, Friedrich, Kurt, Gretl and Marta as they look up at their beloved governess.
   Nearly seven years ago, it was Hamilton native Michaela Tomcho who looked up at Maria in awe when she played Louisa in a touring production of The Sound of Music. Now, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy student has found herself in the lead role of the Yardley Players’ staging.
   "I did the national tour when I was in seventh grade, which was really different," Ms. Tomcho says. "I can remember when I was younger looking up at Maria and thinking, ‘Oh my God, I want to be like that some day. She’s so cool, she’s so good.’"
   Now that she has that opportunity, Ms. Tomcho couldn’t be more grateful. When asked if there’s anything about Maria’s character she relates to, Ms. Tomcho quickly replies, "Oh, everything. I’m such a child on the inside, I will always be a kid. I love kids, I love playing with them, I love music…"
   The actress first got involved with acting on a whim. "When I was younger my aunt took me to see a show at The Three Little Bakers in Delaware," Ms. Tomcho recalls. "And there was a little girl in the Christmas show and my aunt said, ‘Michaela could do that!’
   "So we wanted to stay after the show because she was so gung-ho about me auditioning the next season and we got locked in the bathroom because they were closing," she continues. "We were banging on the door and finally one of the owners came out and said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, we were shutting down’ and my aunt was like, ‘When are the next auditions?’"
   The next several years in a row, Michaela landed a part in the dinner theater’s Christmas shows and has kept herself busy as a performer ever since. Her past credits include the role of Tiger Lily’s Brave in the world premiere of Peter Pan and Wendy at Philadelphia’s Prince Music Theater and a cabaret show at the now-closed Odette’s in New Hope. Locally, she has appeared in numerous community theater productions such as Bye Bye Birdie, Into the Woods, Grease and Seussical: The Musical.
   Ms. Tomcho also just finished her first year at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, where she was granted a merit scholarship. The Academy offers a bachelor’s of fine arts program that continues at New School University, where Ms. Tomcho plans to pursue a music therapy degree.
   For now, having the summer off from school has allowed her to tackle the dream role of Maria. The Sound of Music depicts the saga of Maria and the von Trapp family, set against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of Austria leading up to World War II. With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, the musical was inspired by The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp.
   The original Broadway production opened in 1959 and won numerous Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show starred Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as Captain von Trapp. Songs from The Sound of Music, like "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi" and "Edelweiss," became popular standards. Surprisingly, it was originally envisioned as a non-musical play that would feature songs from the repertoire of the Trapp Family Singers.
   "Mary Martin went to all kinds of composers and nobody would write the music for her," says Walter Smyth, who plays Max Detweiller in the Yardley Players’ production. "So she and her husband, Richard Halliday, a big Broadway producer, went to Rodgers and Hammerstein to turn it into a musical, and they did."
   The show has seen numerous productions and revivals since then, and was also made into a popular 1965 film starring Julie Andrews that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
   Bill Pessel, who plays Captain von Trapp in the upcoming production, had only seen bits and pieces of the film version years ago and had never seen the stage show. When he was asked to audition for the role, the Princeton lawyer wasn’t sure what to expect.
   "I was thinking ‘doe, a deer’ and thought it was going to be a really corny show," he admits. "But once I learned it, I really think it’s a beautiful show."
   Washington Crossing, Pa., resident Shirley Murphy plays Mother Abbess, the string that ties the show together. "I teach everybody to ‘Climb Every Mountain,’ that’s my claim to fame," Ms. Murphy says. "I start the show, I get to Maria when she’s thinking about leaving (the abbey), I send her away, I counsel her when she gets back and I get her to realize she’s in love with Captain von Trapp," Ms. Murphy says.
   "She’s the one that tells Maria and everyone else that there’s a purpose to their life," Mr. Pessel adds. "You just have to find out what your purpose is."
The Yardley Players’ production of The Sound of Music will be performed at Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, July 13-15 and July 20-22. Performances: Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2, 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Tickets cost $16, $12 seniors, $10 students/children; (609) 570-3333; www.kelseytheatre.net