PORT ANGELES — We’ve all heard that the hills are alive with “The Sound of Music.”
What’s new is that the Olympic Mountains will soon act as reflectors for abundant glee — and, perchance, yodeling.
“The Sound of Music,” that 1965 film about Maria the novice nun-turned-stepmother to the von Trapp family, is coming to the Little Theater at Peninsula College this Saturday night.
This will not, mind you, be a mere movie screening.
“The Sound” will be the backdrop for an all-new cast of characters — local singers, dancers and actors — who will lead the live audience in a singalong of the soundtrack. That means “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “(How Do You Solve a Problem like) Maria,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “The Lonely Goatherd,” “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss,” “So Long, Farewell” and of course the title song, which starts out like this:
The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears.
The hosts of “Sing with ‘The Sound of Music’” hope to hear that last line come true. These hosts are the folks at the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts, that May extravaganza of music, dance and visual art in Port Angeles. They’re showing the movie and urging people to not only sing, but also to dress up as nuns, von Trapp children — or anyone or -thing in the movie.
Richard Stephens, a pillar of the theater community and a Juan de Fuca supporter, will serve as master of ceremonies, so you would think he would wear a tuxedo or at least a suit. But no. Stephens has also been called to fill another key role: the Reverend Mother, who helps Maria decide whether or not to leave the convent and marry Capt. von Trapp (the elegant Christopher Plummer in the film).
Fortunately, Stephens is a costume designer, so he has been sewing a nun’s habit to wear all evening. He envisions, too, a theater full of irreverent getups inspired by the movie.
“I am really hoping,” he says, “to see people in outfits made of curtains,” like the ones Maria made for the von Trapp kids.
Sarah Tucker, a local artist and Juan de Fuca Festival board member, is going all-out as the Baroness, Capt. von Trapp’s lady friend. Tucker will portray her in all her icy glory, in a wax-paper dress. And Tucker’s daughters Zoe, 12, and Celeste, 7, will appear as the captain’s daughters Brigitta and Gretel, respectively.
“The kids are absolutely in love” with this movie, Tucker says. And for her part, she’s looking forward to playing up the Baroness’ uptightness.
“I’ll probably change a couple of times,” she adds; the Baroness will get more and more ridiculous as the evening progresses.
To fill out “The Sound,” the brand-new Peninsula College Glee Club will supply more song leaders. Among them are Brittany Brabant as Maria; Erica Harris as Liesl, the eldest von Trapp child; Kevin Febryan as her sweetheart Rolf; and Ralph Davisson as Capt. von Trapp.
In this version of the movie, the lyrics play out across the big screen, so moviegoers will have no trouble belting out the songs. So whatever you do, Stephens says, don’t hold back.
“You don’t have to sing like Julie Andrews,” he adds. “There’s safety in numbers.”
This “Sound” experience is in large part Dan Maguire’s idea. The Juan de Fuca Festival executive director wanted something family-friendly for Thanksgiving weekend. All the singing and frolicking — this movie runs nearly three hours, as you may recall — could burn off some calories.
“Don’t be shy about dressing up,” Maguire says, adding a suggestion for those without nun’s habits: a big brown bag, as in “brown paper packages tied up with strings” in the song “My Favorite Things.” There will be prizes, he promised, for the best costumes.
Frolic will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Little Theater, which is on Peninsula College’s main campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Tickets are $10 for general admission or $7 for children 12 and younger. To purchase, stop in at Port Book & News, 104 E. First St. or visit the Juan de Fuca Festival website, www.JFFA.org; the festival office can be reached at 360-457-5411.
“This will be a movie experience,” Maguire vows, “unlike any you have ever had.”
