STAGE REVIEWS : ‘SOUND OF MUSIC’ LIVES ON AT FULLERTON OPERA

The indefatigable “Sound of Music” has reared its head once again, this time at Fullerton Civic Light Opera, in a no-nonsense version that offers crisp vocal work as its strongest asset.

Director Jan Duncan has adopted a broad musical-comedy approach, which plays right into the synthetic undertones of the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein standard based on the true story of the Trapp family and their escape from Austria during the Nazi takeover.

As a result, the cast repeatedly falls prey to the artificial qualities of the script. For the most part, the stage relationships come off as just that, and the problem is underscored by the staging, which minimizes eye contact. Donna Berg makes an appealing Maria in a performance that showcases her lovely singing voice. She is only partly successful, however, in battling the saccharine pluckiness in the role of the governess hired to tutor the seven children of a widowed sea captain. Her Maria seems most at ease in the affectionate interaction with the Von Trapp children, played with aplomb by Carrie Keskinen, Brent T. Barnes, Ashley McLean, Kevin Loreque, Lisa Knott and Wendy and Holly McDonald.

But the relationship between Maria and Captain von Trapp, played by Harold Clousing, has a forced feeling from the outset. Clousing brings a remarkable singing voice to the role, but his performance relies almost completely on stern posturing, rendering this complex character stubbornly one-dimensional. Those problems spill over into the captain’s relationship with his fiancee, Elsa, played by Su Harmon in a performance that’s beautifully sung but vaguely defined. Dan Halkyard provides the funniest moments in the show as the captain’s opportunistic friend, Max Detweiler, but the laughs tend to obscure the character’s moral emptiness.

The staying power of this show, and its enduring ability to move, is illustrated again and again, especially in the haunting opening and closing numbers set in the abbey. “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” pairing the infatuated Liesl (Carrie Keskinen) and Rolf (Joe Swaney), is utterly disarming, spotlighting some charming choreography by Kathleen Melcher. Melcher and Duncan also stage a memorable version of the party at the Trapp home, in which the children’s dancing in the living room gracefully parallels the guests’ dancing on the veranda. The party is glimpsed through the clever fold-out set designed by Mark Klopfenstein--a set that nicely capitalizes on a very respectable backdrop of the Austrian Alps.

Contributing to the musical finesse of this production are the abbey chorus--featuring Maureen Hawk as the Mother Abbess and Carol Gustafson, Laurel Shepard and Deanna Barraza--and the fine work of the live orchestra under the direction of Benton Minor.

“The Sound of Music” will play through June 1 at Plummer Auditorium, Chapman Avenue and Lemon Street in Fullerton. For ticket information, call (714) 879-1732.