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Familial Bonds At RWPA Theatre Barn

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Familial Bonds At RWPA Theatre Barn

By Shannon Hicks

RIDGEFIELD — Years ago, the Lussiers of Newtown used to participate as a family in St Rose theatre productions, back when the Newtown church presented such shows on a regular basis. Bob and Dolores Lussier, along with sons Bob, Jr, Keith, and Kevin, would all take part in different forms of the productions, usually with Bob playing piano, Dolores singing, and the boys in acting roles.

It’s been a long time since St Rose of Lima had a regular theatre department, and probably just as long for the Lussiers to be in a theatrical production together, but that’s about to change to a small degree when the curtain goes up this weekend for a local theatre’s production of The Sound of Music. On Friday night, Dolores Lussier will begin performances as the Mother Abbess, and her son Bob will be right there in the midst of the show, starring as Captain von Trapp, the widowed naval officer who educates his seven children with military discipline. Ridgefield Workshop for the Performing Arts (RWPA) will continue performances of The Sound of Music on weekends through December 10.

For Bob Lussier, now a Danbury resident, deciding to audition for the RWPS adaptation of the musical was easy. Bob had a part in The Fiddler on the Roof years ago and said recently that “the bug bit me then and that was it.” Since 1983 Bob’s face has become a very familiar one to local community theatre audiences, having participated in as many as 60 shows between Sherman Players, Brookfield Country Players, New Milford TheatreWorks, other RWPA productions, and a few shows in New York City.

It took a bit of encouragement from Bob before his mother Dolores was ready to get back on the acting boards this summer, though. Thanks to his encouragement, however, the veteran actor and his mother, who continues to sing regularly with Connecticut Choral Society and her church’s choir, are now in a production together for the first time since 1986.

“I have a ball whatever show I’m doing, but we’re having a great time with this one,” Bob said recently while visiting his parents’ home in Newtown. “I’m so proud of her.”

“Her voice is just exquisite, absolutely lovely,” RWPA vocal coach Jane Ryan said about Dolores. “Her song, ‘Climb Every Mountain,’ ends the first act, and when it’s over there’s this moment of silence when everyone just kind of stares in awe at her. She’s phenomenal. We had a lot of very talented people audition for the show, but her voice truly set her apart.”

“I think she is more experienced as a singer than an actress,” continued Mrs Ryan, echoing the initial concerns of Dolores, “but she just jumped right in with both feet and was great right from the beginning.”

“She has a very pretty voice,” said Siobhan Ryan, a 6-year old who is playing one of the von Trapp daughters.

The Lussiers aren’t the only ones sharing a family connection in the RWPA production. Jacki DeRoeck-Garver is the production’s director, and her daughter Lacey is playing Brigitta von Trapp (one of the daughters); vocal coach Jane Ryan (who grew up in Newtown and, like Bob Lussier, now lives in Danbury) is watching her daughter Siobhan perform the role of Gretl, the youngest von Trapp daughter; and Mary Shuldman is playing a nun while son Steven is handling the role of Kurt von Trapp.

For Dolores Lussier, not only is being on stage as a singing actress something of a flashback, but so is the particular role she is playing in Ridgefield. Dolores played the Mother Abbess in one of the St Rose productions mentioned earlier.

“I’m a little nervous,” Dolores admitted last week, “but it’s more like anticipation. I have excitement and I’ll have an edge of nervousness before the curtain goes up for each show, but that’s always good.

“I’m certainly more comfortable with my abilities now than I was 18 years ago,” she continued. “And I’m much more comfortable with musicals than straight drama. I’m more of a…”

“…You’re a singer who acts,” son Bob finishes for her, and his mother nods in agreement.

The give and take between mother and son has been just as useful during rehearsals for The Sound of Music, which have been running in Ridgefield since mid-September. Six weeks is a shorter than normal amount of time for a community theatre production to come together, but again, that’s where Bob Lussier’s experience has been a help to his mother. She knew how to play the Mother Abbess, and he has been able to help with the consolidated rehearsal schedule.

The Sound of Music has been called the most popular movie musical of all time. It was a Broadway hit before being turned into a big-screen version starring Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews, and the 1966 film is now presented regularly during the holiday season for family viewing on television.

 (Opening night for The Sound of Music at Ridgefield Workshop for the Performing Arts is Friday, November 17. Performances continue on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8, and Sunday afternoons at 5, through December 10. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors.

Reservations can be made by contacting RWPA’s box office at 203/431-9850. The theatre barn is at 37 Halpin Lane in Ridgefield.)

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