We sat down with Selina Hsu, who is part of “the nuns ensemble” in SBMT’s production of The Sound of Music. In this short interview, she tells us there are no puppets in the stage version of this iconic musical—but “The Lonely Goatherd” still makes an appearance, with “Uncle Max” playing an expanded role. She also reveals why she auditioned for the show. 

Watch the video (runtime 2:43), or read the transcript below.

 

My name is Selina and I’m a part of the Nuns Ensemble.

What does the Nuns Ensemble do in the show?

The Nuns set the scene through atmospheric music whenever the show finds itself at the Abbey.

How is the show different from the movie?

That’s such a classic. And I always feel that musical theatre just makes more sense in person than it does in the movies. And I was actually surprised by a lot of the differences between the stage show and the m the movie. So there are quite a few.

Does the show have puppets, like in the movie?

There are no puppets in the show. But “The Lonely Goatherd” is still in the show. And actually, Max gets to sing in it, too.

What songs are people really going to enjoy?

Based on what I’ve seen in rehearsal so far, I think the audience is really gonna enjoy “So Long, Farewell.”

[Music]

Tell us about rehearsals.

So, this is my first time getting involved in community theatre, and I think the rehearsals have been going well, and I think they’re really organized, and they make sense to me.

Why did you want to be in this show?

I’ve been to a couple of the shows that South Bay Musical Theatre has put on before, and when I heard that they were doing Sound of Music, I was really interested in auditioning for the ensemble because I did grow up singing in choir, and the nuns ensemble felt like something accessible for me to get into it.

[Music]

Was it hard to sing in Latin?
I’ve sung in choirs quite a bit, and so I actually have sung a lot in Latin.

To sum up?

Tickets are selling fast, so you can get yours at SouthBayMT.com for The Sound of Music running at the Saratoga Civic Theater.

[Logo and Bloopers]