A group of children of varying ages and height, skip onto the stage. The children dance and sing beloved songs that many sing throughout the world, entertaining the audience and brightening the mood. Through their old-fashioned costumes, scenic backdrops and timeless scores, the cast transforms the room into twentieth century Austria, telling the tale of the famous von Trapp family.

This spring, the Revere Players will perform The Sound of Music, which features the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The plot, based on a true story, tracks a postulate named Maria who learns to love the von Trapp children and develops feelings for their father in the midst of World War II. Director Laurie Russell and assistant director Rena Baker, who have been co-directing the plays and musicals for Revere for eighteen years, made the decision to showcase The Sound of Music this year. Russell explained her reasoning behind the choice and her confidence in the cast this year.

“We have been waiting to do this show for a long time. We chose to do The Sound of Music this year because we felt that we had the right students to play the roles. It just felt right,” Russell said.

Senior Ashley Oakley will perform as Maria in her eighth Players production. Maria serves as a Baroness for the von Trapp family. Oakley discussed the facets of her character and how Maria will appeal to the audience.

“[Maria] is an adventurous, fun-loving young woman who has to face her fears with her emotions and discover her true purpose in the world,” Oakley said.

“[Oakley] is Maria. Her vocals are so beautiful and she has such a mature sound. She really gives Julie Andrews a run for her money. [Jones] was made to be Captain von Trapp. He fits in the role perfectly, his vocals are beautiful, and he makes a good father figure,” Russell said.

Oakley mentioned her favorite part about playing Maria and what she looks forward to as she spends time at practices and performances. She discussed the dynamic of the Revere Players and how it adds to their onstage relationships.

“My favorite part is the music and getting to sing all [Maria’s] songs, especially “The Hills are Alive” and “The Lonely Goatherd.” I also love getting to know the kids and the captain; we have been hanging out as a family. You get to really connect with a lot of people,” Oakley said.

Junior Joci Scott, who will portray the eldest von Trapp, Liesl, has participated in two other Revere musicals, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz. Scott discussed the musical’s unique features that differ from some of the movie scenes.

“The show is not exactly like the movie because it was a stage musical before it was the movie with Julie Andrews. There are a couple extra songs with Elsa Schraeder (Ellie Edwards) and Max Detweiler (Russell Klein), and a few of the kids’ scenes are different from the movie,” Scott said.

“[We want to] work on character development. This show is realistic, and they have played silly characters the past two years. The show is based on historical facts; they have to play live people. That’s been a stretch for them,” Russell said.

Revere art teacher Rob Pierson designs set layouts and leads crew members in painting and working on props. Russell described her vision for the sets.

“There are three main sets, the villa where [the] von Trapps live, and the abbey, and the mountainside. There are not a lot of sets to deal with, so they’ve been able to put a lot of attention to backdrops,” Russell said.

Oakley stated what she thinks the audience should expect when they come to see the show.

“The audience should expect adorable children, amazing nuns, and a great time. They will be immersed in the musical and feel part of twentieth century Austria,” Oakley said.

The cast will feature Jack Besenyodi, Sarah Blake, Sydney Borcherding, Lucia Boulos, Mariam Boulos, Jacob Brokloff, Dani Buser, Gina Ciolli, Tylor Davis, Sasha Desberg, Ellie Edwards, Grace Godard, Karl Godard, Alex Isada, Nick Jones, Joey Klein, Russell Klein, Shelby Kohmann, Sia Konstantinopoulos, Ellie Lambacher, Clayton Langdon, Ethan Lockmiller, Dean Manning, Amanda Marchetta, Kathryn Mason, Patrick Mehal, Tim Miller, Bianca Milovancev, Ryan Nadzam, Ashley Oakley, Molly Oldham, Garrison Peters, Micha Post, Susie Post, Abbey Randall, Kelly Scheetz, Kelly Schikowski, Becca Schmidt, Joci Scott, Noah Sigsworth, Claire Weihe, Jessica Weil, Madison Williams, Charles Wise and Jacob Zimmerman.

The set crew consisted of Lexi Abou-Ghalioum, Will Ackermann, Emma Butera, Sharon Caldwell, Jason Choy, Caroline Crawford, Kristen DiCresce, Jillian DiCresce, Brandon Dutkiewicz, Caroline Edwards, Emme Egelston, Katie Froelich, Anna Gerber, Anne Gill, Sam Gill, Grace Godard, Allison Gonzales, Julia Grupert, Katie Hanus, Christian Harwick, Patryk Hastings, Bailey Jursik, Yash Kahai, Minseo Kim, Sia Konstantinopoulos, Ava Kovach, Scotty Marble, Eve McCarty, Olivia Mesecar, Sabrina Milovancev, Mackenzie Moore, Meghan Nadzam, Alec Pardi, Emma Palopoli, Susie Post, Phillip Rundo, Gabi Schmidt, Kaila Sense, Marc Solis, Evie Solis, Mark Solis, Margo Solitt, Jessie Spann, Madison Stumbaugh, Ben Tipton, Megan Travers, John Wilson and Hanna Wilson.

The show will take place on April 14, 15 and 16 at 7 pm, and April 17 at 2 pm. Tickets will cost $5 for Revere students, $8 for non-Revere students, $10 for adult presale and $12 for adults at the door.

As the lights brighten and the cast bids “adieu,” the audience applauds the historical performance. The cast takes a final bow, the crew draws the final curtains and the tech crew dims the final lights.