Review Roundup: THE SOUND OF MUSIC North American Tour

The North American tour of The Sound of Music is now underway! The tour launched at the Stanley Theatre in Utica, NY from September 5–6 before traveling to cities across North America for multiple seasons. Read the reviews here!

The production features Rodgers & Hammerstein’s iconic score, including My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, Edelweiss, and the title song.

The cast is led by Cayleigh Capaldi, Christiane Noll, Kevin Earley Nicholas Rodriguez, Kate Loprest, Ariana Ferch, and Ian Coursey.

The von Trapp children are played by Eli Vander Griend (Friedrich), Ava Davis (Louisa), Benjamin Stasiek (Kurt), Haddie Mac (Brigitta), Ruby Caramore (Marta), and Luciana VanDette (Gretl), with Harper Burns, Oliver Cirelli, and Molly Glowacki as understudies. Additional cast members include John Adkison, Blaire Eilene Baker, Sydney K. Borchers, Dylan Bradford, Steven Grant Douglas, Alli Echelmeyer, Zach Herman, Charlotte Jenkins, Jade Litaker, Meredith Lustig, Jennifer Malenke, Mark Bradley Miller, Tess Primack, Corey Greenan, Ruthie Sangster, and Daniel Robert Sullivan.

David Friscic, BroadwayWorld: The inspiring finale of this production entitled “Finale Ultimo: Climb Ev’ry Mountain” --- performed by the entire company --- swells with idealistic love and lush orchestrations and is a clarion call to the ideals of perseverance and devotion ---- tears are earned with this moving and uplifting scene. This is decidedly one of the most magnificent theatrical finales in the history of musical theatre.

Teniola Ayoola, MD Theatre Guide: “The Sound of Music” delivers on every level—the set, costumes, choreography, music, and cast. The children—Ariana Ferch (Liesl), Eli Vander Griend (Friedrich), Ava Davis (Louisa), Benjamin Stasiek (Kurt), Haddie Mac (Brigitta), Ruby Caramore (Marta), and Luciana Vandette (Gretl)—shine as true stars. The direction honors the beloved film while making full use of theatrical possibilities.

Jeffrey Kare, BroadwayWorld: Under Jack O’Brien’s direction, he puts together such a lovely staging. The choreography by Danny Mefford comes off as very lively. The lighting designed by Natasha Katz is stunningly opulent. The sets designed by Douglas W. Schmidt is very handsomely mounted. The costumes designed by Jane Greenwood do look very elegant. Yet most of all, O’Brien has not only assembled a terrific cast, but pulls terrific performances out of each of them. Not to mention that through their rich voices, they all do Rodgers & Hammerstein’s iconic score justice.

Michael Woody, Dayton Local: How do you find a word that means Maria?...Just one word would be an understatement as Cayleigh Capaldi nothing less than a full paragraph. A thesaurus does not even contain a word that give justice to Capaldi’s portrayal of Maria. She makes the iconic role her own, with an endearing charm and miraculous voice. Capaldi’s vocals has the strength to not only enliven the hills, but the entire planet with beautiful sounds. Maria may lack some fashion sense, but is a perfect 10 when it comes to singing.

Tina St. Angelo, BroadwayWorld: With national tours, you never know what the stage design will be. This was stunning. Tours need to be able to move the pieces easily. The audience applauded when the curtain came up and we see the von Trapp home for the first time which has a beautiful staircase and a gorgeous chandelier. There are doors which open to the terrace. The mountains are on a painted backdrop but are very real. Bravo Douglas W. Schmidt!

Vickie Evans, BroadwayWorld: I love so many different components of this production. I rarely devote extensive space in a review to set design, it’s usually a quick mention. However, this set and designer is worthy of its own ovation. Douglas W. Schmidt’s scenic design was exquisite—rich, detailed, and visually stunning. From the breathtaking backdrop of snow-capped Austrian hills to the lavish von Trapp mansion complete with a glistening chandelier and an elegant outside terrace…every scene was visually appealing. Even the simple color wheel backdropping the monastery added a religious feel of a stained-glass window.

Lauren Gienow, BroadwayWorld: Leading a supremely talented cast of performers is Cayleigh Capaldi as Maria Rainer. She is radiant and instantly root-able, with strong, gorgeous vocals. Her scene work with both her adult and child co-stars is equally as strong. She has made this role her own.

Alexandra Cohen, The Suburban: The cast is led by the incredibly talented Cayleigh Capaldi as Maria Rainer, who brings joy to the stage as she prances about, singing with her beautiful vibrato. She shines in particular in the presence of the seven von Trapp children, who are all sure to bring a smile to your face every time they enter the stage. Not to be forgotten as well is Broadway veteran Christiane Noll, a Tony- and Drama Desk- nominee playing the role of the Mother Abbess. Her performance of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”, including the reprise at the end of the show, brought many to tears.

Average Rating: 86.3%