If you go
* What: “The Sound of Music.”* When: 8 p.m. Friday; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.* Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St* Admission: $77, $67, $52 and $37 plus fees.
"The Sound of Music" was the first movie soundtrack Keslie Ward owned as a kid growing up in Texas.
"The music was so beautiful. I loved Julie Andrews. 'The Sound of Music' introduced me to the world of musicals," says Ward in a phone interview.
Now she's part of that world.
Ward, 24, stars as Liesl von Trapp, eldest of the von Trapp children in the national touring company of "The Sound of Music."
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical stops at the Tivoli Theatre on Friday and Saturday for three performances. Although this is a brand new production, the romance that blossoms between nun-turned-governess Maria and Capt. von Trapp is unchanged. The beloved show is one timeless tune after another: "My Favorite Things," "Edelweiss," "Climb Every Mountain," "The Lonely Goatherd" and "The Sound of Music."
For Ward, pursuing a career in musical theater was as fundamental as "Do-Re-Mi." She took voice lessons, played in the band, performed in theatrical productions.
She made her stage debut at age 10, playing Wendy in a children's workshop production of "Peter Pan" - and she was hooked.
"I was like, 'This is it! This is what I want to do.'"
After college she was hired as a performer with Disney Cruise Line, cruising to Alaska and through the Panama Canal.
"I felt like it was a paid vacation," she jokes. However, it was good stage training for repeating shows and keeping them fresh because the Disney cast presented four separate shows a day on the ship, each with a different Disney theme and music.
In late August, Ward joined the cast of "The Sound of Music," her first national tour. Even though she's playing 16-year-old Liesl, she hasn't found it difficult to play eight years younger.
"When you are 16, your mood changes all the time. I use that to set how I'm feeling that day, to keep each performance fresh. I try to bring back the feelings of what it's like to have your first crush, your first kiss."
Her favorite scenes are those with Chad Campbell, she says, who plays opposite her as Rolf, and those with her von Trapp siblings.
"I love being with the kids. They are great performers and give 100 percent. They are so excited to be here," she says.
The children travel with a parent/guardian, and Ward says several of those parents also home-school their children while on the road. But there is a tutor who travels with the company as well.
Even though "The Sound of Music" is more than 50 years old, the story hasn't lost its charm with audiences, Ward has discovered while touring.
"The music is so timeless and beautiful. You see the audiences on the edge of their seats. That's good for performers because we know they are paying attention, they're involved in the story. I feel like the show is relatable to all ages, all generations. It's especially fun to have children come see the show who have never seen it before."
Ward says the musical is similar to the movie, "but I feel like when you watch it live in the theater, the story comes to life. You get a better understanding of what was going on at that time, the political overtones. Going to live theater is an experience unlike any other."