Sit and spin.
And soak it all in, as a free outdoor performance of “The Sound of Music” in Wilton Manors offers a whimsical setup where the “hills” — and the cast — are alive all around you.
Unofficially dubbed “The Sound of Swivel,” the May 7-June 9 performances, produced by Plays Of Wilton! (POW!) in a partnership with the City of Wilton Manors, invites the audience to sit in rolling 360-degree swivel chairs to catch the action all around at the Richardson Historic Park & Nature Preserve.
The idea came from the location, says director and POW! founder Ronnie Larsen.
“I’m standing in Richardson Park and right in front of me is this giant house … with the columns and the balcony, so it’s two levels. And then next to the house, they have … this long stairwell that comes down to the main floor. And then if you turn to the left, you see this gazebo. And then if you turn to the right, you see all these trees. And I realized I was on the set of ‘Sound of Music.’ ” Larsen recounts, recalling his location-scouting mission in October when his organization became interested in al fresco theater.
“I wouldn’t be doing ‘The Sound of Music’ if it wasn’t for that space … I love the show, but that’s really why I’m doing it,” he adds. “I believe we’re going to give the audience an experience that they’ve never had before, and they’re going to see the musical in a new way … because no one’s ever done this.”
Inspired by a true story, the show opens with a young Maria (played by Abbey Alder) preparing to become a nun in 1930s Austria. However, the Mother Abbess (Irma Gloria) has other plans, sending Maria to be governess to the seven children of widowed Captain von Trapp (Noah Peacock). The burgeoning romance of the captain and Maria is threatened not only by a romantic rival, Elsa (Camille Schiavone), but by the rise of the Nazis.
The score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II spotlights standards such as “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” “The Lonely Goatherd,” “So Long, Farewell,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and — of course — the title song.
Larsen, who is alsoa playwright and actor, says the show requires a special cast.
“When we cast the show, we’re very clear about this, we look the actors right in the face [and] we say, ‘Look, we are doing a new park, a new venue. We’ve never done a show here. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Please, if you are not a flexible human being, you are not for this production,'” Larsen says.
The city also has been gracious, he says: “I wanted to do plays in the park a couple of years ago, but I thought you couldn’t walk on the grass, and so when we met with the city, they’re like, ‘You can walk on the grass,’ or ‘You can lean on the tree. You can do that. We can hang a light on the tree.'”
Of course, weather can be a factor. Most of time, the technical rehearsals on location went off without a hitch, he says. “We had beautiful days, and then we had a couple of windy days and all the wigs went rolling down the sidewalk. But, you know, the wind subsided. We were fine. It is shocking how smooth it has been.”
And just in case of rain, there is a plan in place.
“At one point, the audience gets up from the chairs and goes inside the house and we do the ballroom scene inside the [Manor House]. So if we have rain at Richardson Park, it will not be a problem. We’ll just move the audience to the house for five or 10 minutes,” he explains.
Back in March, POW! staged “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” in Wilton Manor’s Mickel Park for the first “plein air” production, but with more traditional audience seating — not 100 swivel chairs. Rain was never a factor.
And this is not the last POW! In The Park production, at least that’s what Larsen thinks.
“It feels to me that this is not a one-off. There’s a million stories you can tell using that house, using the park. It doesn’t feel … like a gimmick. It feels like a new way of telling a story and using your environment. And so I’m very interested in the concept of swivel chair theater, that instead of changing the set, you’re just changing the view. That’s very interesting to me.”
SAVOR CINEMA’S ‘THE SOUND OF MUSIC’ SING-ALONG
Can’t get enough of “The Sound of Music”?
The 60th anniversary of the movie version will be celebrated during a sing-along screening at downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Savor Cinema on Wednesday, May 14. Expect lots of crooning as well as apple strudel from Fort Lauderdale’s Old Heidelberg restaurantat intermission.
“You got to give everyone that sugar high for the second half,” says Hal Axler, managing director of Savor Cinema.
For Axler, the sing-along event is serendipitous.
“The funniest part of it is I’m taking my wife … to Austria the following week and we’re going to do a ‘The Sound of Music’ tour, so we’ve had ‘Sound of Music’ on our minds,” he says.
In addition to honoring the anniversary, another aim is to introduce the movie to a new generation — so students will be admitted free of charge.
“We really wanted to introduce students to musicals. The classic movies, and especially the musicals, are falling off the students’ radar these days,” says Axler, who is also managing director of the Broward County Film Society. “We especially wanted them to experience it — for the first time — as a movie and not just a collection of songs. With YouTube, we’re familiar with the music and the big songs, but we want people to come out and experience the musical in its entirety.”
By the way, according to the website: “Costumes are not obligatory but highly recommended!”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “The Sound of Music,” presented by POW! and the City of Wilton Manors
WHEN: 7-9 p.m. May 7-June 9
WHERE: Richardson Historic Park & Nature Preserve, 1937 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors
COST & INFORMATION: Admission is free, but you must reserve a ticket at powinthepark.com
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “The Sound of Music Sing-a-long”
WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 14
WHERE: Savor Cinema, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale
COST: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, free for students age 18 and younger
INFORMATION: fliff.com/savorcinema
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