Connecticut & The Berkshires - "The Baroness"

Regional Reviews: Connecticut and the Berkshires

The Baroness
Playhouse on Park
Review by Zander Opper

Also see Fred's reviews of Your Name Means Dream and The Elephant Man and Zander's review of Waitress

Sarah Street
Photo by Meredith Longo

Playhouse on Park is presenting the world premiere production of The Baroness, a new play written by Jacques Lamarre. A kind of riff of the film version of The Sound of Music, this new work is often funny and clever, even if there is a middle section that cannot consistently maintain the show's immediate buoyancy. That being said, The Baroness travels far on Rodgers and Hammerstein in-jokes, an attractive production, and the hilarity of Sarah Street as the title character. The playwright certainly knows his stuff and, combined with the skills of director Micheal Schiralli, this show can be a laugh riot. Having a good knowledge of The Sound of Music (both the original Broadway production and the film) only adds to the fun.

Joining Street onstage is the impeccable Nick Apostolina as Rolf; a great deal is made of the song "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and the character's love of Liesl. There is also a feeling of dread every time Rolf proclaims his loyalty as a Hitler youth. As much of a good time as this production is, those references to the Jews and homosexuals and the "work camps" are downright scary, considering the current political climate. However, the play is over all an extremely inventive comedy and, while it can sometimes seem a little lightweight and uneven, it is sure to leave you with a big smile on your face.

The plot begins with the character of The Baroness being jilted by Captain von Trapp, who calls off the engagement when he falls in love with Maria. Dressed gorgeously (costumes by Jimmy Johansmeyer), Street maintains her character's upper crust attitude and her general feeling of disdain for the von Trapps, referring to Liesl as both "the old girl" and "weasel" and calls Maria "Atilla the nun." The laugh lines come fast and furious and I would hate to give away the best jokes in the show, though I will say that the playwright is canny enough to include references to Marni Nixon dubbing actresses and the fact that the Baroness' two songs from the Broadway production of The Sound of Music were dropped for the film version.

The Baroness and Rolf turn out to be good characters to bounce off each other and to share scenes. Apostolina is suave and he a good match for Street. The set is the bedroom of the Baroness (wonderfully designed by Kim Zhou) at the von Trapp home and there are many humorous moments when Street is seen on the phone yelling at people. The play gains added interest when Rolf makes his entrance through an open window in the bedroom. The effective lighting design by Johann Fitzpatrick helps to enhance the entire production.

If there is a flaw in this lark of a show, it is the fact that an intermission is inserted halfway through the play. The Baroness would be even better if it was staged in one act and the running time trimmed just a bit. This would eliminate trying to get the audience back into the show after the intermission and, with a tightened mid section, it would feel sturdier than it does right now.

The Baroness can still be recommended, though, thanks to the mischievous imagination of the playwright, who has given a wicked back story to two minor characters in The Sound of Music. What's more, The Baroness has quite a dynamite final scene that ends the show with a bang. And, while this play is definitely not a musical, this finale acts as almost an "eleven o'clock" number for the title character, with all the zest and power that that connotation brings to mind. Fans of The Sound of Music will find much to like in The Baroness and here's hoping for a future for the play beyond this Playhouse on Park debut.

The Baroness runs through June 22, 2025, at Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Rd, West Hartford CT. For tickets and information, please visit www.playhouseonpark.org.