A Wilton Manors-based theater company is putting a new "spin" on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic The Sound of Music.
The open-air production in the city's Richardson Historic Park & Nature Preserve will seat its audience in swivel chairs — allowing them to follow the action as it unfolds across different areas of the park.
The show is produced by Plays Of Wilton! (POW!). Director and POW! founder Ronnie Larson says the idea of the chairs just came to him one day.
"I was standing in this park and I realized, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm surrounded by The Sound of Music set.' There was a gazebo, there was a big house, there were trees, there was a staircase that the kids could come down," he says.
"And I started revolving, just standing there. I said, 'What if the audience was sitting on swivel chairs and when we went to the different scenes, they just followed the actors, they just followed the action?' And I was like, we have to do this."
READ MORE: Broward Center to host 23rd Annual Cappies Awards for high school theater excellence
When it came to the setup, Larson and his tech crew lucked out. A small courtyard in front of the park's Manor House (often used as a wedding venue) is paved with brick. Although the swivel chairs have rollers, once placed in the mortar joints, they didn't budge.
"It's a miracle — it's meant to be," says Larson.
So . . . turn around 180 degrees and you'll see Maria advancing through the trees singing the title song. Swivel to the left and there are the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey singing How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?. Rotate slightly to the right and there's the staircase from which the von Trapp children will bid you So Long, Farewell.
Of course, with no Austrian Alps in Wilton Manors, Larson is asking everyone to use their imaginations for a while.
"If you swivel at one point and you look, you're going to see a Dairy Queen across the street."
IF YOU GO
What: The Sound of Music, Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Produced by POW! Plays of Wilton
When: Now through June 9, 2025
Where: Richardson Historic Park & Nature Preserve
1937 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors, FL 33305
Tickets are FREE but must be reserved online. For ticket information, visit playsofwilton.com.
