Brownsville's Camille Playhouse comes alive with 'The Sound of Music'

Dec. 9—"The hills are alive with the Sound of Music ..."

And so is the stage of the Camille Lightner Playhouse, where thespians from ages 6 to 75 have spent many long hours, days and weeks preparing for the production, which opens Friday night.

"The rehearsal process has been going well," said Brandon Binder, artistic director of the Camille, located at 1 Dean Porter Park Dr.

"For our musicals, we do a six-week rehearsal process," Binder said. "That includes our learning of all the music, learning all the choreography, and then staging the entire show and putting everything together with costumes, makeup lights, microphones, everything."

The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the Von Trapp Family, a popular concert group in the years before World War II. The story is set in an abbey in Austria.

The iconic 1965 film production of The Sound of Music has fascinated generations of movie lovers with the powerful vocal performances of Julie Andrews singing such classic favorites as "My Favorite Things" and "Do-Re-Mi."

However, when Emiliana Flores was cast as Julie Andrews' character Maria, she knew she couldn't compete with her.

"As a kid, one of my favorite movies to watch, all of my siblings and my family, we loved watching the Sound of Music," said Flores, 22. "It was definitely a family movie for us. But in preparing for the part, I could not replicate Julie Andrews in any way. There's no way I could be her or be anything like her. So I did not want to be that because no one could replace her, no one could be her."

So, with this perspective in mind, she avoided watching the movie to prepare for her performance.

"I have been trying to...stay true to myself and who I am as a person and an actress," said Flores, who is studying to be a theater teacher at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

"I've loved it," she said of her rehearsals and upcoming performance.

"It's been really fun to explore her character and just to be a part of such a classic and beloved musical," Flores said. "To take such a wonderful and iconic character and make her my own and have a place in my heart is a wonderful experience. I've enjoyed it very much."

Binder said every year the Camille seeks to present a family-friendly performance with sort of a Christmas flavor.

"Even though it might not be exactly centered around Christmas or a specific holiday we believe that Sound of Music is a very family-friendly show," Binder said. "It brings back a lot of incredible memories for a lot of people. We just want to present something that will make people feel reminiscent of good times."

------

To see more, view Brownsville Herald photojournalist Miguel Roberts' full photo gallery here: