The Record
February 22, 1998
A Modern Problem Like Maria
By Jim Beckerman
These are a few of Rebecca Luker's favorite things:. Harps. Zithers. Authentic Austrian costumes, sets, and orchestral flavorings that make the new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music"unlike any that has come before.
"I think our team has looked at it with fresh eyes, which will surprise and delight the audience,"says Luker, the Tony-nominated star of Broadway's recent"Show Boat"revival. She plays Maria von Trapp, the role that Julie Andrews made famous in the 1965 blockbuster movie version, one of the best-loved films of all time.
In this revival, presented by Hallmark, Michael Siberry ("Nicholas Nickleby") plays Captain von Trapp; Patti Cohenour ("The Phantom of the Opera") and Jan Maxwell ("A Doll's House") also appear among the cast of 38.
Inevitably,"Sound of Music"audiences will bring certain movie-fed expectations to this revival.
Problem is, before there was a hit movie, there was a 1959 Broadway play, starring Mary Martin.
In reviving the piece, director Susan H. Schulman has to be true to both the familiar movie and the original Broadway show, from which it differed in some respects. All that while trying to put her own 1990s stamp on it.
"This is a pretty new interpretation, and it has an original look,"Luker says.
Everybody knows the reality-inspired story of Maria, the young governess who turned the wealthy Von Trapp family of Salzburg into a troupe of sprightly singers, and then masterminded their escape from Austria when the Nazis took power in 1938.
Everybody certainly knows the famous tunes:"The Sound of Music," "My Favorite Things,""Do Re Me,""Edelweiss,"and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."
What audiences might not know are two other tunes, cut from the movie, that add an undercurrent of cynicism to a show that is often knocked for being sticky-sweet. "How Can Love Survive?" and"No Way to Stop It"(in which Captain von Trapp's worldly friends try to persuade him to collaborate with the Nazis) are both included in this revival."I think it's a needed ingredient in the show that the movie doesn't have,"Luker says.
In other ways, the new"Sound of Music"makes peace with fans of the Hollywood version: It includes two tunes that were written specifically for the film,"I Have Confidence"and"Something Good." But though Luker has had her picture taken with Julie Andrews, there is no further connection between the old Maria and the new production. "We were pictured together, and it somehow got interpreted that she's the unofficial adviser," Luker says.
"The Sound of Music"comes on the heels of several other Broadway revivals, including Rodgers and Hammerstein's"Carousel" and"The King and I,"and the Hammerstein-Jerome Kern"Show Boat,"that suggest the
surprising durability of these sentimental old shows in an earthy age.
Luker herself, a Birmingham, Ala., native, is riding the crest of that wave: In addition to playing Magnolia Hawks in"Show Boat," she's also appeared in such
revivals as"The Boys from Syracuse"and "Brigadoon,"and released albums of songs by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and others. But Maria may be her most challenging role yet. "Magnolia was a big role, but I don't think it's half as big as Maria,"she says."That was a cakewalk compared to this. I'm in about 12 out of 14 scenes, and when I'm not onstage I'm running from one side of the backstage to the other to make an entrance, and often you have to run under the stage and stop by your dressing room to change clothes."
Show's 'I Have Confidence' Could Be Luker's Own Credo
New York Post
March 11, 1998
By LARRY WORTH
BROADWAY'S revival of "The Sound of Music" has yet to officially open,
but Rebecca Luker - the latest actress to sport Maria von Trapp's dirndl - has already heard every question and thought every thought about making the hillscome alive in 1998.
For the record: No, she didn't see Mary Martin originate
the role on stage.(At 36, Luker hadn't even been born.) Yes, she always loved
Julie Andrews in the classic 1965 movie. No, she's never been to Austria (the
tale's real-life setting). And, yes, she felt privileged when Andrews
recently gave her some input.
Luker answers the basics - and everything else - with enthusiasm, patience and lots of smiles. Those are qualities that come easily to the glamorous Alabama native, whether addressing her beginnings as a
beauty contest runner-up, waitressing at Windows on the World or maternal
feelings for the show's 10 children (seven Von Trapp kids and three understudies).
Taking an hour's break from rehearsals at the
Martin Beck Theater, she sits cross-legged on a balustrade overlooking the
lobby, seemingly oblivious to thefact that leaning a bit off-center would mean a
20-foot drop. If Luker fears falling, she keeps it to herself. Just as she
sports a brave - but never cocky - face about wearing Maria's legendary mantle
in style.
"Actually, I don't think about it," she laughs. "That would really
mess me up. I run down a ramp at the beginning of the show, do my "hills are
alive" thing and try to have fun with it. But I'd be lying if I said my heart
wasn't pounding."
Actually, her heart's been pounding since the show's
grueling audition process began nearly a year ago. Five
callbacks later, the part was hers, and so began the endless comparisons to Martin and
Andrews.
Then again, Luker's used to holding her own. When taking over the
role of Christine in Broadway's "The Phantom of the Opera," she was compared by
reviewers to her predecessors, Sarah Brightman and Patti Cohenour (who's
currently playing the Mother Abbess in "Sound of Music"). Even her
Tony-nominated role as Magnolia in Broadway's 1994 "Show Boat" invited parallels
to Kathryn Grayson's big-screen interpretation."All I can do is be myself,"
she says. "Sure, this role will always be associated with Julie Andrews. That's
a fact. But I'm discovering how to bring Maria alive in different ways, little
enriching things."Playing a squeaky-clean character in such classic family
entertainment has another potential pitfall: keeping one's personal life above
reproach. And once again, Luker has confidence in herself. "I'm not planning a
Pee-wee Herman," she laughs, "but my job is just my job. I have to live my own
life and be happy with it."
And what's making Luker happy now - aside from "The Sound of Music" - is boyfriend Danny
Burstein. Following her divorce from actor Greg Jbarra, Luker and Burstein recently moved
into a Manhattan apartment together. The pair met two years ago during a
California workshop for Barry Manilow's Broadway-bound "Harmony," getting cast
as the romantic leads. Friendship developed into dating, which led to their
current situation. Actor-singer Burstein is currently shooting an episode
of NBC-TV's "Law & Order."And mention of TV gets Luker thinking about her
own acting future. With only a 1989 "Matlock" guest appearance on her resume,
Luker would love to segue into film and television. But big Broadway
opportunities keep getting in the way.
"Come on, how could I turn down a part like this?" she asks. Yet, she did give it a moment's pause,
and not just because Maria was another ingenue role. When talking with her
three siblings - all of whom are married, have kids and "regular jobs" back in
Alabama and Georgia - Luker sometimes questions her life choices.
"Sure, you think about everything you don't have," she says. "But I've decided to be happy.
When I started out, acting was my whole life. Then I got less serious about
it. But a show like this - where you're playing a real person - has made me more
serious than ever."But I've also filled my life with love from family and
friends and activities that mean something to me. It's not just about work
for me anymore. And that's what makes the difference."
March 11, 1998
By LARRY WORTH
BROADWAY'S revival of "The Sound of Music" has yet to officially open,
but Rebecca Luker - the latest actress to sport Maria von Trapp's dirndl - has already heard every question and thought every thought about making the hillscome alive in 1998.
For the record: No, she didn't see Mary Martin originate
the role on stage.(At 36, Luker hadn't even been born.) Yes, she always loved
Julie Andrews in the classic 1965 movie. No, she's never been to Austria (the
tale's real-life setting). And, yes, she felt privileged when Andrews
recently gave her some input.
Luker answers the basics - and everything else - with enthusiasm, patience and lots of smiles. Those are qualities that come easily to the glamorous Alabama native, whether addressing her beginnings as a
beauty contest runner-up, waitressing at Windows on the World or maternal
feelings for the show's 10 children (seven Von Trapp kids and three understudies).
Taking an hour's break from rehearsals at the
Martin Beck Theater, she sits cross-legged on a balustrade overlooking the
lobby, seemingly oblivious to thefact that leaning a bit off-center would mean a
20-foot drop. If Luker fears falling, she keeps it to herself. Just as she
sports a brave - but never cocky - face about wearing Maria's legendary mantle
in style.
"Actually, I don't think about it," she laughs. "That would really
mess me up. I run down a ramp at the beginning of the show, do my "hills are
alive" thing and try to have fun with it. But I'd be lying if I said my heart
wasn't pounding."
Actually, her heart's been pounding since the show's
grueling audition process began nearly a year ago. Five
callbacks later, the part was hers, and so began the endless comparisons to Martin and
Andrews.
Then again, Luker's used to holding her own. When taking over the
role of Christine in Broadway's "The Phantom of the Opera," she was compared by
reviewers to her predecessors, Sarah Brightman and Patti Cohenour (who's
currently playing the Mother Abbess in "Sound of Music"). Even her
Tony-nominated role as Magnolia in Broadway's 1994 "Show Boat" invited parallels
to Kathryn Grayson's big-screen interpretation."All I can do is be myself,"
she says. "Sure, this role will always be associated with Julie Andrews. That's
a fact. But I'm discovering how to bring Maria alive in different ways, little
enriching things."Playing a squeaky-clean character in such classic family
entertainment has another potential pitfall: keeping one's personal life above
reproach. And once again, Luker has confidence in herself. "I'm not planning a
Pee-wee Herman," she laughs, "but my job is just my job. I have to live my own
life and be happy with it."
And what's making Luker happy now - aside from "The Sound of Music" - is boyfriend Danny
Burstein. Following her divorce from actor Greg Jbarra, Luker and Burstein recently moved
into a Manhattan apartment together. The pair met two years ago during a
California workshop for Barry Manilow's Broadway-bound "Harmony," getting cast
as the romantic leads. Friendship developed into dating, which led to their
current situation. Actor-singer Burstein is currently shooting an episode
of NBC-TV's "Law & Order."And mention of TV gets Luker thinking about her
own acting future. With only a 1989 "Matlock" guest appearance on her resume,
Luker would love to segue into film and television. But big Broadway
opportunities keep getting in the way.
"Come on, how could I turn down a part like this?" she asks. Yet, she did give it a moment's pause,
and not just because Maria was another ingenue role. When talking with her
three siblings - all of whom are married, have kids and "regular jobs" back in
Alabama and Georgia - Luker sometimes questions her life choices.
"Sure, you think about everything you don't have," she says. "But I've decided to be happy.
When I started out, acting was my whole life. Then I got less serious about
it. But a show like this - where you're playing a real person - has made me more
serious than ever."But I've also filled my life with love from family and
friends and activities that mean something to me. It's not just about work
for me anymore. And that's what makes the difference."
