Apollo-Ridge High School thespians are wrapping up last-minute rehearsals this week as they prepare to perform a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein production.

A cast of more than 40 will present “The Sound of Music” on Thursday through Saturday in the high school auditorium.

A live student-led pit orchestra overseen by high school vocal and orchestra director Don Varuola will perform classics such as “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Maria” and “So Long, Farewell.”

Based on a true story, the plot follows the adventure of Maria, a perky and strong-willed singing nun who takes a job as governess for six children of a wealthy, widowed captain.

“The audience can expect a lovely, classical representation of ‘The Sound of Music’ with some powerhouse lead singers,” said musical stage manager/producer Katrina Dixon.

Dixon described the dance numbers as sweet and charming and said the cast has fully embraced the job of tackling such a well-known production.

[gps-image name=”5999242_web1_vnd-ApolloMusical-031523-3.jpg”]

“The music is beautiful, the singing superb, and the overall performance will leave an audience with big emotions,” Dixon said.

This year’s cast includes freshman Ava Bishop in her first musical.

“I always loved singing and playing a different character. It’s kind of what I expected. I’ve made a lot of friends,” Bishop said. “I watched ‘The Sound of Music’ when I was little. It was one of the musicals I wanted to do.”

Sophomore Benjamin Metts plays two roles — a butler and an angry Nazi.

“There’s a lot of little details sprinkled throughout this production. There’s a lot of subtleties that can be very rewarding if you pay attention to them,” the first-time musical performer said.

“It’s fitting for me. I’m enjoying myself. Last year, I only painted sets and stuff. Now, I’m from backstage to onstage,” he said.

[gps-image name=”5999242_web1_vnd-ApolloMusical-031523-9.jpg”]

Anna Sodowsky plays Maria and said she loves “lighting up the stage” in this role.

Sodowsky, a senior, has been performing in musicals since the eighth-grade.

“I love Maria. ‘Do-Re-Mi’ has been, by far, the most fun to perform onstage. It’s a well-known song. I do a little bit of picking, and I put down (the guitar) and we all get to run around the stage and have some fun. It’s a very vocally and physically demanding role. By the end of each night, I’m very tired.”

Musical director Jesse Chovanec grew up surrounded by the theater world and studied theater arts at Point Park University.

[gps-image name=”5999242_web1_vnd-ApolloMusical-031523-11.jpg”]

Chovanec, 22, chose a show that she felt resonated with a younger audience.

“It seemed like the right fit for the students. I just didn’t want to pick a show that I wanted. I wanted something that would already be a part of their personality and they could just step into and make full. A lot of the kids knew the showstopping songs,” she said.

[gps-image name=”5999242_web1_vnd-ApolloMusical-031523.jpg”]

Students in lead roles include Sodowsky as Maria, Luke Rodnicki as Captain von Trapp, Brooklyn Mayhl as Mother Abbess, Tyler Querry as Max Detweiler, Baleigh Sherwood as Baroness Elsa Schraedar and Gabe Kavulic as Rolf Gruber.

The sister nuns are played by Ivie Sluser, Jema Lynch and Alyssa Starkey.

The von Trapp children are played by Abigail Ost, Beck Andree, Chloe Seevers, Garyn Adams, Mirabella Andree, Marleigh Jackson and Olivia Massari.