Curtain rises today on Central Junior's 'Sound of Music'

Central Junior High students aren't singing the latest pop radio hits as they walk to class. They're belting out classic show tunes.

Today about 200 students will take the stage in the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "The Sound of Music."

"I've always wanted to do it and figured there's no time like the present," said director Mike Dumey. The production's focus on family also appealed to him.

"The Sound of Music" tells the story of Maria, a woman who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the children of the Von Trapp family.

A group of 27 volunteers assembled nearly 400 costumes used in the performance, including seven costumes for each of the Von Trapp children and more than 100 nun habits.

"I'll be ready to open my own convent when this is all said and done," Dumey said.

The students in the nun's chorus are performing complex four-part songs in Latin, he said.

"This music is not meant to be done by this age group," he said. "I'm very excited about how great they are sounding."

Unlike other musicals that include a lot of dancing, "The Sound of Music" focuses more on quality singing, Dumey said.

However, the students did learn a German folk dance to perform as part of the show.

"The thrill they get from being in a Broadway show is what this is really all about," Dumey said. "Any project that takes 200 teammates to assemble and complete is a monumental job. I hope that's a life lesson they can take with them."

Art students also helped out with the project by painting parts of the set, including stained glass windows for the chapel scene, Dumey said.

Students are getting a bit of a history lesson with this production, as the musical's story line includes Adolf Hitler's takeover of Austria.

"They're playing Nazi officers and learning exactly how World War II really all began," Dumey said.

This Broadway show is Dumey's 17th production at Central Junior High, but he said he couldn't do it alone.

"The teachers are amazing, the parents are amazing, the people in the community donate so much time," Dumey said. "It's really cool to have a project where so many different areas of our town get involved."

Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday in the Central Junior High School auditorium. Ticket prices are $8 and $10 and may be purchased at Montgomery Bank on Broadway and South Mount Auburn Road and Bi-State Southern on Kingshighway.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

205 Caruthers Ave., Cape Girardeau, MO