The very first theatre review I ever wrote (and delivered) was on public radio in Charlottesville VA in 1979. I was a University of Virginia student given the opportunity to review the SOUND OF MUSIC tour that played a night in the University Arena. Sally Ann Howes was Maria. Howes was great, though it was hard to ignore the fact that she was almost 50. The Von Trapp children had to help her "jump" onto the bed during "My Favorite Things". I didn't know how to handle the review because I felt that talking about Maria like she was a young postulant in her 20s seemed absurd. And she and Baron von Trapp (I believe it was 60-something Earl Wrightson, also great) seemed way too elderly...especially since the von Trapp children actually seemed to be age-appropriate teens.
I was really stressed out about writing and delivering the review on the radio. I felt a tremendous obligation to pay tribute to Howes' talents, but I also wondered if I should have pointed out the strangeness of the casting (I mean, she was playing a real-life character). At that point I realized how challenging a critic's job was...and determined that I didn't think I could pursue it as a career if I was having a sleepless night worried about the nuances of reviewing a one-night stop during the hinterlands tour of SOUND OF MUSIC.
Anyway, Miss Howes was valiant, beautiful and in lovely voice. And while she was a little more Baroness than postulant, that didn't diminish her ability to charm and delight the audience (most of whom knew and loved her from CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG). Anyway, that's ultimately what I said in the review. |
