Walking in the Captain's Shoes

Burnaby's Steve Maddock stars in Footlight Theatre's The Sound of Music

By Julie Maclellan, Burnaby Now - October 30, 2010

Steve Maddock admits that when he first trod the boards as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, he felt too young for the role.

That was back in 2003, when he played the role in Royal City Musical Theatre's successful production.

Now, at 43 and with two children of his own, the Burnaby-based actor feels far more comfortable in the skin of the famous character - the naval captain with seven children whose life is changed by the arrival of the governess Maria.

"I could have seven kids," he says musingly. (He's quick to add, mind you, that the two he has - eight-year-old Aubrey and three-year-old Kai - are the perfect family.)

Maddock is starring in the Footlight Theatre production of The Sound of Music, running at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby from Nov. 5 to 20.

He notes it's a challenge to step into a role as well-known as that of the captain, popularized on film by Christopher Plummer in the 1965 movie with Julie Andrews.

That's where Maddock is grateful for the vision of director Lalainia Lindbjerg Strelau.

"It's really easy to play Captain Von Trapp as this mean ogre of a guy," Maddock says. "Lalainia has chosen not to go that way at all."

Instead, she has Maddock focusing on the immense pain and sorrow Von Trapp has suffered in losing his young wife, so that the Captain's stoic exterior hides a man who is shutting down to hide from the world.

"He's going to be multi-dimensional," Maddock says. "If I do my job the way I'm supposed to, hopefully the audience will see that he's not really a bad man. The audience, they have to like this guy."

It is, he admits, a daunting task for an actor. But he's thrilled for the chance to try - particularly next to Bree Greig, who's playing Maria.

"She's just so right for the part. She looks like Maria - she's young, she's pretty, she sings like a bird," Maddock says.

An added bonus is that the two have been sharing the stage with the Vancouver Playhouse production of The Fantasticks, which just wrapped up an extended run.

"It's really going to help she and I in the chemistry department. As people and as actors, we've gotten to know each other so well," Maddock notes, adding that their familiarity with each other allows them to anticipate what the other will do at any given moment. "It's like athletes that have been on the same team for a couple of years. Hopefully that will read from the audience perspective."

Even more exciting for Maddock is the fact that he'll be playing alongside his own daughter - Aubrey is appearing as Marta, the second-youngest of the Von Trapp children.

"I can't even begin to tell you how special that is," Maddock says, his baritone voice softening with a warmth that makes it clear just how deeply he values the opportunity.

He notes that Aubrey - who also studies ballet at Spotlight Dance Centre, plays violin and loves to sketch and paint - is delighted with her foray into musical theatre so far. But Maddock points out that there's no guarantee that they'll ever get to work together again.

I really want to just cherish every moment of this show, knowing that may never happen again," he says. "Working with my daughter is second to none."

Whether or not Aubrey continues in the musical theatre world, Maddock admits it's likely that music will always be part of her life.

Maddock himself, besides his musical theatre career, is a jazz instructor at Capilano University and well-known as a jazz and pop performer. His wife, Siri Olesen, is a classically trained soprano who sings with the renowned chamber group musica intima.

"There is probably a good chance our kids are going to lean towards some kind of music," Maddock admits with a laugh.

(At three, Kai may be a little young to predict, but he's already enjoying himself in a music appreciation for toddlers class through Coastal Sound Music Academy, where Olesen teaches part-time.)

Maddock has been run a little ragged, what with performances of The Fantasticks, rehearsals for The Sound of Music and many hours of "homework" getting ready for the part - not the least of which is learning to play guitar, which the Captain does onstage.

But he's enthusiastic about the show. He's impressed with the talent on stage - including Grace Fatkin as Mother Abbess, who brings a powerhouse classical soprano to the role.

And Maddock has nothing but praise for the 12 young performers who share the roles of the Von Trapp Family Children.

Lindbjerg Strelau opted to double-cast the parts - with the exception of Leisl, the eldest - and Maddock notes that all the children have been a delight to work with.

"The kids are well-rehearsed, and they're all super-talented," he says.

He's happy to get a chance to work with musical director Monique Creber, who also happens to be a good friend dating back to their time together as students at Capilano.

Her husband, Michael Creber, is leading the professional orchestra that will play for the production.

"He's going to put together a band that is second to none. It is going to be world-class, for sure," Maddock promises.

And, of course, overseeing it all is Lindbjerg Strelau.

"I was so delighted to finally have an opportunity to wok with her as a director," Maddock says. "I enjoy her attention to detail and how she really wants to dig into the script and the text as much as time will allow. She definitely has a vision, and she's done her homework. She knows what she wants."

Maddock is joined on stage by a number of other Burnaby performers, including Alison Wright as Liesl, Nancy Von Euw as a nun and Baroness Elberfeld, and Talar Kaladjian, Laura Luongo and Susan Reid as nuns.

Julie Maclellan, Burnaby Now