Now, American audiences will have the first chance to see the world premiere of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical presented entirely with marionettes by the Salzburg Marionette Theatre.
Richard Hamburger, Dallas Theater Center's artistic director emeritus, directs the Salzburg Marionette Theatre production, which will embark on a North American and European tour, following its Nov. 2-4 world premiere at the Dallas Theater Center.
The marionette production will be performed to a fully orchestrated recording performed by the Istropolis Philharmonic Orchestra, and featuring the vocal talents of numerous Broadway actors.
The Broadway talents who have lent their recorded voices to the production include Christiane Noll as Maria Rainer; Martin Vidnovic as Capt. von Trapp; Bill Youmans as Max Detweiler; Crista Moore as Elsa Schraeder; Michael McCarty as Franz; Jeanne Lehman as Mother Abbess; Joy Franz as Sister Berthe; Jennifer Hope Wills as Sister Sophia, doubling as Liesl von Trapp; Jonathan Groff as Rolf Gruber, doubling as Friederich von Trapp; Jenn Gambatese as Louisa von Trapp; Kelsey Fowler as Marta von Trapp; Matthew Gumley as Kurt von Trapp; Betsy Hogg as Brigitta von Trapp; and Kylie Goldstein as Gretl von Trapp.
The puppeteer talent of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre includes Eva Wiener, Philippe Brunner, Pierre Droin, Pavel Tikhonov, Heide Hölzl, Vladimir Fediakov, Ursula Winzer, Michaela Obermayr, Emanuel Paulus and Gerda Michel. The Salzburg artists are also responsible for creating the puppets used for the production. The design team for the Salzberg Marionette production of The Sound of Music is led by Christopher Barreca with costume design by Anita Yavich and sound design by David Budries.
Following the Nov. 2-4 Dallas run, The Sound of Music will tour to San Antonio, TX (Nov. 5); Philadelphia, PA (Nov. 8-10); Princeton, NJ (Nov. 12); Lancaster, PA (Nov. 13-16); Baltimore, MD (Nov. 17-18); Gainesville, FL (Nov. 21 & 23); Burlington, VT (Nov. 27); Newark, NJ (Nov. 30 & Dec. 1-2); Providence, RI (Dec. 3); and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (Dec. 7-9).
The Sound of Music, the 1960 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, features music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, with a book penned by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The 1965 film adaptation earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Songs from the stage production include "My Favorite Things," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," Do-Re-Mi," "So Long, Farewell," "The Lonely Goatherd," "Edelweiss," "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and the title song.
For tickets contact the Dallas Theater Center at (214) 522-8499 or visit www.dallastheatercenter.org.
The Dallas Theater Center is located at 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd. in Dallas, TX.
