Parliament Hill was alive Nov. 21 with the sound of music.
Eliza-Jane Scott, the actress playing Maria von Trapp in the National Arts Centre’s (NAC) upcoming production of The Sound of Music, took to the Hill to recreate the iconic image of Maria singing outside the abbey.
Sporting a Maria-inspired dress and white apron, Scott jumped and twirled for reporters as they snapped pictures of the leading actress. With her red hair swept back and her feet dancing along the grass, the crowd was reminded of Julie Andrews doing the same on a much different hill, back in the 1965 film version of the musical.
The Sound of Music tells the story of Maria von Trapp, a free-spirited woman sent to Salzburg to be the governess of seven children.
Playing the iconic role of Maria, Scott said she drew inspiration from Andrews’s performance, but was motivated to make the part her own.
“I had to go back and think, is Julie Andrews influencing my role in some way? If anything, I use her work as inspiration, but definitely the great opportunity has been finding my own way through it,” she said.
Scott, a former music teacher at Carleton University, also said she relates to the character of Maria herself.
“I see her as a teacher, and I’m a teacher. I think the character really identifies with the kids, and I do too,” she said. “It’s funny because when I was little I didn’t really identify with the musical at all . . . It’s only recently that I realized that she’s so much like me.”
The NAC has added four more shows to the musical’s run in Ottawa because of strong ticket demand. With the additional shows and increase in ticket sales, Scott said she hopes the audience will identify with Maria in the same way she has.
“I hope they connect with the idea that Maria grows. At the beginning of the play, she’s kind of a mess,” Scott said with a laugh. “I was really enjoying the idea that she can’t be perfect at the start. I kind of want them to identify with the idea that you can grow and you can change.”
The stage production will feature the most memorable songs from the original musical, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “So Long, Farewell,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”
Scott noted that musical theatre is a good way for people to unwind, especially during the holiday season.
“I hope that [the audience] can unplug from the Senate scandal, that they can unplug from Rob Ford, that they can unplug from their Christmas shopping and they can just take a breath and enjoy themselves at the beautiful theatre,” she said.
The Sound of Music will be Scott’s first performance with the NAC. The performance will feature more than 20 actors and musicians live on stage.
The show runs from Dec. 3 to Jan. 4.
