Something very new happened on Wilton Drive last night and it wasn’t the 65 year old Broadway musical Sound Of Music. It wasn’t so unusual to see a production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic written in 1958. What was unusual is that it was produced by Ronnie Larsen and Plays of Wilton.
This is creative organization that has given us productions like “Truck Stop Sally.” Last spring Larsen produced a free outdoor production of ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Forum’ at Wilton’s Mickel Park. That inspired Norman Extract, the founder of the Fort Lauderdale LGBTQ+ Meetup Group to offer a $50,000 grant to produce something else. They landed on ‘The Sound Of Music.’
Last night the first of 12 performances through the middle of June Pride Month began at historic Richardson Park on Wilton Drive. The show was an eyebrow raiser. The ‘Theater on the park’ used the historic Richardson mansion and the grounds as the living set for the musical. Several unique features happened for the first time on America’s gay mainstreet. First there were 19 members of the cast including 7 children including the youngest being 7.
The cast had powerful voices for the show. The production featured a creative crew of 13. The musical was performed with live music, not an expected track. This was all a surprise as Wilton Drive has some of the most diverse live entertainment for LGBTQ in the country. But that is generally individual singers, speciality acts and drag queens. This was something very different. Here are examples. There was much made in social media about Larson and his “swivel chairs” for this production.
Frankly, it didn’t make sense. They shared a video of constructing new swivel chairs for the outdoor production. Why office-like swivel chairs? Last night before the production begins, Larsen explains this is theater in the round. But in reverse. The audience is in swivel chairs and the production will be done all around you as your chair can move with the actors in all 360 degrees around you. You… follow the actors.
Clever as It meant that they did not have to have any sets except the historic home and the beautiful grounds from twilight to evening. And it totally worked. Larsen told the theater in the park audience “I think this is the first time a musical has ever been done with swivel chairs.”
The audience laughed and it totally worked as the musical moved from location to location as audience members swiveled in their chairs. Another interesting moment was the famous dinner ball scene that was held in the musical and film. The cast encouraged the audience to come into the Richardson mansion and participate in the ballroom dance scene leading up to the beloved Von Trapp children’s good night song “So Long, Farewell.”
The audience became part of the cast including waiving goodbye to the children. The results? POW In The Park delivered and exceeded the expectations of the audience. After all, one of the most interesting facts about this cultural project on Wilton Drive was the program was completely free. That’s right, they introduce tickets for just the first four shows and they are free.
Then had a roll out of the next four shows and so forth. Yesterday, Plays Of Wilton asked us to reconfirm we were attending as so many people were trying to get tickets. POW, Ronnie Larsen and producer Jack Stein have invented something fresh for the gay community on Wilton Drive. And it totally worked. Totally. Special notes as we single out the exceptionally fine voices and performances of Maria, played by Abbey Alder, and Liesl, played by Nicole Hulett. Mother Abbess, played by Irma Gloria, had a powerful performance of ‘Climb Every Mountain’ as the iconic song was so appropriate for today.
It was not lost on the audience of the undertone of growing Nazism in 1938 and anti-LGBTQ politics in Florida and America today. Many, including me, were emotional as Mother Abbess says we can not hide inside our walls, as she encouraged us to “follow every rainbow.” Perhaps she was challenging our walls right here in Wilton Manors? I did not attend last nights opening, thinking that Plays Of Wilton would blaze new trails with the 1950’s musical.
I could not have been more wrong. POW In The Park used a historic location on Wilton Drive, had no sets, an amazing story (both in how it was funded and happened) and in the cast and production who produced it. Being outdoors and “theater in the round” but reversing who was really in the round. All accomplished with swivel chairs. Something new happened on very gay Wilton Drive. And we are all craving more.
