THE SOUND OF MUSIC to Return to Philadelphia's Academy of Music in 2026
The musical features songs including "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Edelweiss," and "The Sound of Music."
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 13, 2026
Ensemble Arts Philly and The Shubert Organization present the return of The Sound of Music, back in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music from March 31-April 5, 2026. Produced by Concord Theatricals and NETworks Presentations, this critically acclaimed North American tour honors the 65th anniversary of the musical's original stage debut.
Directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien, the musical classic will transport the next generation of theatergoers to the hills of Austria, captivating audiences with its universal themes of love, resilience and the power of music.
The spirited, romantic, and beloved story of Maria and the von Trapp family features an unforgettable Tony, GRAMMY and Academy Award-winning Best Score, including legendary favorites "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Edelweiss," and "The Sound of Music."
Tony Award nominee Christiane Noll as the Mother Abbess will join rising star Cayleigh Capaldi as Maria Rainer and Broadway veteran Kevin Earley as Captain Georg von Trapp.
Nicholas Rodriguez will play the charismatic impresario Max Detweiler, and Kate Loprest brings elegance and ambition to Elsa Schraeder. Ariana Ferch portrays Liesl von Trapp, the eldest daughter full of spirit and first love, and Ian Coursey plays Rolf Gruber, a boy striving to prove himself in uncertain times.
The Sound of Music features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. The 60th anniversary of the Oscar-winning film, which continues to be one of the most successful movie musicals of all time, was celebrated in 2025.
This production is directed by Jack O'Brien (2024 recipient of Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), and choreographed by Danny Mefford (Broadway's Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen, Fun Home). The design and production team is comprised of Douglas Schmidt, Set Design (Tony Award nominee: The Front Page, Into the Woods); Jane Greenwood, Costume Design (2014 recipient of Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Natasha Katz, Lighting Design (Eight-time Tony Award winner: Sweeney Todd, MJ The Musical, Long Day's Journey Into Night, An American in Paris); Kai Harada, Sound Design (Dead Outlaw, A Wonderful World, Merrily We Roll Along); Andy Einhorn, Musical Supervisor (Gypsy, Carousel, Hello, Dolly!); Tom Watson, Hair/Wig Design (Spamalot, Harmony, Parade); and Casting by The Telsey Office - Rachel Hoffman, CSA, Rashad Naylor, CSA.
According to director Jack O'Brien, "A few years ago, I was part of a group of collaborative artists who, almost inadvertently, stumbled on original conceptions for the stage mounting of The Sound of Music that had never found their way into production. We felt as if we were awakening Sleeping Beauty herself, and the results exposed a version of this classic virtually unknown before, and yet more dramatic, more detailed, more rapturous and more touching than any we had experienced.
