“Sound of Music” Stars Fall in Love on Set, Will Marry in September

The Sound of Music’s Captain Georg von Trapp and Maria Rainer aren’t the only ones hearing wedding bells. In September, the actors in the lead roles—Jonathan Briggs (Captain von Trapp) and Hannah Jeanette Ayotte (Maria)—will marry in real life. The two reprised the roles last weekend in which they first met when they starred in the Lifehouse Theater’s version of “The Sound of Music” last year. In less than 40 days, they will wed. “I get to stand onstage as a nun and sing ‘How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?’ while [Ayotte] is walking down the stage in a wedding gown toward my son,” said Lauren Briggs, who also acted in last weekend’s Redlands Bowl production and in real life is Jonathan Briggs’ mother. “It just brings tears to my eyes to realize that [in September] they are really going to be married.” Called “a family affair” on both sides, the love story between the two leads began before either of them realized it. When Briggs, 31, of Redlands, auditioned for the role of Captain Georg von Trapp at Lifehouse Theater, he was auditioning with Ayotte’s sister, Sarah, who was directing the production. “When my sister first met [Jonathan], in the back of her mind she said, ‘My sister and this guy are going to be a thing,’” Ayotte said. It was their similarities that tipped her off, Sarah Ayotte explained. “When we were talking, I picked up on key themes between him and my sister,” said Sarah. “The fact that he had collegiate music experience was one way he was very similar to my sister in an area that is the heartbeat of her life.” The relationship began very professionally, both Ayotte and Briggs shared, and the two made the independent decision—despite encouragement from both of their parents to take their professional relationship to a romantic one—to wait until the production was over to pursue anything further. “We both put effort into creating a high-quality product. We knew that if it was the real thing, then it could wait a couple of weeks,” said Briggs. The two spent time together, and were “… constantly seeking each other out,” said Briggs. “It’s kind of crazy. We started off just rehearsing, but you know, we performed the show 26 times. There was no more rehearsing and we were allowed to be ourselves.” And the couple’s chemistry was apparent to everyone else as well. “I had people asking me if they were dating,” said Lauren. “But they got to know each other first and respect each other first as both actors and musicians. That allowed a friendship to blossom.” When Briggs asked Ayotte for her phone number after the production had wrapped up, she admitted she felt butterflies. “He was very respectful during the show,” Ayotte, 27, of Riverside, said. “When he did verbalize how he felt for me, I definitely had the flutters. It was a breathless moment, like, ‘Okay, this is really going to happen.’” And Ayotte’s chemistry with Brigg’s 4-year-old son, JJ, mimics the care Maria shows for the von Trapp children, said Lauren. “[Hannah] is so kind and gentle with his son, and I think that is something that touched him,” said Lauren. The two were engaged in January of this year, and last weekend reprised their lead roles for “The Sound of Music,” this time under the direction of Wayne Scott. The experience this time around was a little different for the both of them, they noted. “It’s incredibly peaceful,” said Ayotte. “Last year we had a lot of work to do, and we were just getting to know our characters, so I think that’s what helped us really bond in that way. This year we are very comfortable with each other.” Briggs agreed. “Over the last year we’ve really been able to talk about our characters and try new things out. It’s been an incredible blessing, this experience.” “It’s so tender, to watch the offstage reality as they have gotten to play it onstage,” said Lauren Briggs. The couple will be married Sept. 14 at the First Congregational Church in Redlands.