Local Mesa girl, Charlotte Giffen, has been cast as Gretl in the upcoming production of The Sound of Music at Arizona Opera. ChaCha, as she is called, attends second grade at Las Sendas Elementary School, studies voice with Melissa Gardiner, and dance and theatre at Fuse Performing Arts Center.
“I was a musical theatre actress based in New York City for a long time before moving to Arizona and settling in Mesa to have our family,” said Emma Giffen, ChaCha’s mother. “We are so glad we moved to a place with such an opportunity for ChaCha to carry on the family tradition of performing. Her dad, Daniel Giffen, and I are beyond proud of her, and excited to see her perform in such a beloved show!
“They begin rehearsals in a couple of weeks, and it is going to be a huge production running at Symphony Hall in Phoenix, followed by Tucson Music Hall in Tucson,” Emma continued. “The main cast and creatives outside of the local children they cast are mostly based in New York City and have performed all over. It’s pretty exciting!”
The Sound of Music is a timeless classic and a wonderful opportunity to bring the entire family to Arizona Opera and experience familiar favorites and beloved characters. This treasured musical is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, and set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938.
The Sound of Music tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. Maria falls in love with the children, and eventually their widower father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. Captain von Trapp and Maria decide on a daring plan to flee Austria with the children, with everything at stake.
Many songs from the musical have become family classics, including Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, Do-Re-Mi, and the title song, The Sound of Music.
The Sound of Music is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. Performances will take place at Phoenix Symphony Hall from March 3 to 5 and at The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson on March 11 and 12.
For more information on The Sound of Music production in Phoenix and Tucson, visit azopera.org/performances/sound-music.