Casting Announced For THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Van Wezel

A brand new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, produced by NETworks Presentations, comes to Sarasota on December 19 at 7:30 p.m. and December 20 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall as part of a North American tour. Tickets are $37-$87. For more information, please visit TheSoundOfMusicOnTour.com.

Jill-Christine Wiley will play Maria Rainer, with Mike McLean as Captain Georg von Trapp, Lauren Kidwell as The Mother Abbess, Jake Mills as Max Detweiler, Kate Turner as Elsa Schraeder, Lauren O'Brien as Liesl and Hunter Brown as Rolf Gruber. The von Trapp children are played by Ethan Douglas Cutillo (Kurt), Riley O'Kane (Marta), Jenna Seasholtz (Louisa), Emily Strugatsky (Brigitta), Quinn Eden Titcomb (Gretl) and Edward Turner (Friedrich).

Completing the cast are Bryan Austermann, Henry Fin Berry, Tommy Betz, Morgan Blanchard, Nicholas Carroll, Elaine Cotter, Scott Fuss, Kelly Glyptis, Stephanie Gray, Leah Greene, Jordyn Norkey, James Taylor Odom, James Parks, Jillian Rossi, Christina Tompkins, Ariana Valdes and Teresa Whitt.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. The beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning Best Score, including "My Favorite Things," "Edelweiss" and the title song.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC enjoyed extraordinary success as a live television production when "The Sound of Music Live!" aired on NBC in December, 2013 and was seen by over 44 million people. 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the film version, which continues to be the most successful movie musical in history.

Ted Chapin, President of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, says: "I waited for a moment when we could rediscover THE SOUND OF MUSIC as it was originally created. Because of the enormous success of the film, few were aware that it started life as a hit Broadway show-and a very big hit at that! The artists behind this production embraced what the authors wrote, looked at it all through modern eyes and, in so doing, found depth and resonance that has been recognized by critics and audiences across the country. It's like visiting an old friend but finding yourself surprised as well. It's also a reminder of why this show is such an evergreen."

The creative team for this new production includes direction by Matt Lenz, based on the national tour's original direction by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien (Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Coast of Utopia). Original choreography by Danny Mefford (Dear Evan Hansen, Fun Home, The Bridges of Madison County) has been recreated by Jonathan Warren, with music supervision by Andy Einhorn (Hello, Dolly!, Bullets Over Broadway, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, The Light in the Piazza). The design and production team is comprised of Tony Award nominee Douglas W. Schmidt, set design (The Front Page, 42nd Street, Into the Woods); Tony Award winner Jane Greenwood, costume design (The Little Foxes, 2014 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz, lighting design (Long Day's Journey Into Night, An American in Paris, Once, Aida, The Coast of Utopia, The Glass Menagerie) and Shannon Slaton, sound design (Present Laughter, The Humans). Casting is by Stewart/Whitley.

For more information, including the 2018-2019 touring schedule, please visit TheSoundOfMusicOnTour.com