Join Washington High School as the cast and crew of the production sweeps the crowd back in time to Austria and the eve of World War II in “The Sound of Music” this weekend at the Historic Washington Middle School Auditorium.
Today and Saturday at 7 p.m., as well as on Sunday at 2 p.m., the Washington Historic Auditorium will be alive once again with the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein melodies that have been sung for a thousand years. The show that has won multiple Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and many other prestigious accolades is sure to entertain the entire family.
“Maria doesn’t fit in at the abbey and she is sent to a villa, owned by Captain Gehrig von Trapp,” director Jared Joseph said. “The Captain just had his last governess leave, so they are in need. Though hesitant, Maria agrees to go and she clicks with the children right away and she brings music back into their lives. The setting is in Austria pre-World War II and Germany is about to take over. The Captain is going to be recruited by the Nazis, and he cannot stand them. So he and his children, along with Maria, escape before they take over.”
Joseph said the cast started with auditions in September and right after Labor Day, started practicing. Since they began, he said he has been impressed with how easily the production is coming together and, with a knock on wood, said he is hoping it continues to click through the weekend.
“I peruse musicals every year and this musical had a lot of roles for both men and women,” Joseph said. “I knew we would have a lot of people interested in roles from both sexes and some lead opportunities for both as well. Also I chose it since it was the 10-year anniversary since the high school did that production here. We have been shaving off minutes every night, as this musical is one of the longest. Currently we are down to two hours and 45 minutes.”
Getting tickets is simple and can be done a few ways. For those who wish to reserve seating, visit whsoh.booktix.com to book a ticket. Prime reserved (blue) section tickets are $10. Reserved (green) section tickets are $6. There are several options to pay for tickets. The first is to use a credit card through the website link.
Additionally, the box office will open one hour and 30 minutes prior to the performances and tickets can be purchased using cash or a check prior to the show. For anyone who purchased pre-sale, on the night of the performance use the pre-sale line and a representative will either scan a printed ticket or look up ticket information to check in guests.
“Things are going really well and one of the cool things this year is we have four kids, the von Trapp children, who are kids from Belle Aire,” Joseph said. “This is the fifth show at Washington High School I have done, but the first with kids as young as this involved. I knew it would be a hit with cast and crew hitting it off with them. These kids are positive, talented and they are willing to try new things. Please come to the musical, the set is gorgeous, there are tons of costume changes for the von Trapp children and the kids have been working really hard. These are quite possibly the most positive and well-connected students I have worked with in a musical.”
