Meet Liesl from 'The Sound of Music'

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Paige Silvester and Dan Tracy in the national touring production of ‘The Sound of Music’ opening in Denver on June 21. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

This week, we will be introducing you to selected members of The Sound of Music national touring company visiting Denver from Tuesday through Sunday (June 21-26). We begin with the actor playing Liesl:

Meet Paige Silvester:

  • liesl-300Your role: Liesl VonTrapp
  • Where you grew up: Sacramento, Calif.
  • Where you call home: New York City
  • Training: BFA from The University of Michigan
  • Most recently: Evita first national tour

1 PerspectivesWhat’s your first remembrance of anything Sound of Music? My family had a VHS tape of the movie that we’d recorded while it was playing on TV, complete with ’90s commercial breaks. I watched it so many times that the commercial jingles still pop into my head like they are part of the show. I used to watch with my little brother and make him play “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” with me. We’d jump around our house from couch to couch pretending it was the gazebo in the movie.

2 PerspectivesWhy do you think this musical continues to resonate in the hearts of musical and movie fans worldwide? What I love about The Sound of Music is that each time I revisit the story, I see it in a new light. The themes are universally relatable, and cross-generational. You can enjoy it at any age. I loved it when I was watching as a little girl. I was enraptured when I played Liesl in high school. And I see it in a whole new light now that I’m in my 20s.  I know that pattern will continue throughout my life. The show’s messages are positive and inspirational. You will leave uplifted and thinking – about what is really important to you, about family, about overcoming hardships.  It is a story that sticks with you because the questions it raises are universal.

3 PerspectivesFavorite bit of Sound of Music trivia? Though the song “Edelweiss” has become one of the most well-known in the show, and is often mistaken as being the real national anthem of Austria, it was in fact written for The Sound of Music as a last-minute addition to the show during their out-of-town tryout in Boston. Oscar Hammerstein II was suffering from cancer and was not in Boston, so Richard Rodgers sent him the sheet music, and he filled in the lyrics remotely. It was the last song he ever wrote.

4 PerspectivesWhat’s one thing about you that can’t possibly be true of anyone else in your cast? I have a blog for aspiring performers. It’s called “Theater Cats,” and it’s full of information about the business and reality of a career in theater. Things I wish I’d known at a younger age. If you’re a young actor/singer/dancer who is passionate about performing, I would love if you visited at paigesilvester.com/blog.

5 PerspectivesHow well do you know Colorado? This will be my first time in Colorado, but I can’t wait to explore – I have always wanted to go.


READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH R&H PRESIDENT TED CHAPIN


The Sound of Music: Ticket information
June 21-26
Buell Theatre
Tickets: 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE
Groups: Call 303-446-4829
ASL interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: 2 p.m., June 25

Previous NewsCenter coverage of The Sound of Music
The Real Von Trapps and the sound of freedom
The ‘President of Theatre’ on the enduring popularity of The Sound of Music
Visit the official show page