THE SOUND OF MUSIC: Catch A Moonbeam at Toby's This Holiday Season

Are you ready for festiveness, but not inclined towards trees and bells and furry red suits? An evening at Toby’s Dinner And Show in Columbia, Maryland is a clutter-free treat for your family and other loved ones. This winter, they present THE SOUND OF MUSIC, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is a delightful rendition. It plays through January 12th, 2025, so if December is full, celebrate your love of live musical theater into the new year. 

There’s a lot to like in THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Toby’s. It’s an opportunity to enjoy familiar songs, be immersed in a feeling of family and sample a well-prepared buffet with a lot of variety; even picky eaters find plenty to eat. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions, the menu page offers guidance, but do call the Box Office  Box Office at 410-730-8311 Monday- Saturday 10:00am- 8:00pm; Sunday 10:00am – 7:00pm should you have further questions or concerns. The staff at Toby's are all unfailingly accommodating and friendly. 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC in any form is deservedly beloved, and if you’re a fan, there’s every indication that you will enjoy this live version. If you already know you don’t love the musical, this production might not change your mind, although I’d suggest it deserves a second look, particularly now.The musical numbers in the stage show differ slightly from the film: there are a couple of additional songs, and two numbers that were specifically created for the movie are not in the stage show, so if you have the film practically memorized, you’ll find some surprises in the live performance. If you’ve reached the age of reading theater reviews without knowing any of the songs from the show, which include “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “Edelweiss” and the title song “The Sound of Music,” first, where ya been, babe? Second, the live and film versions of this show won multiple Tony awards and multiple Oscar awards, respectively, and were nominated for about twice as many as they won. THE SOUND OF MUSIC has been an audience favorite since the dawn of the 1960s.

Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, a treasured destination for locals, tour groups and celebrations, has been a cornerstone of the community for more than forty years. There’s big news next year for Toby’s. Howard County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball announced in a press release the imminent construction of a New Cultural Center, which has been in planning since 2010. The dinner theater component of the new facility, where Toby’s will reside in the future, is targeted for completion in Spring 2026. For the 2025 season, Toby’s will continue hosting its high-value performances in the current location. 

Director/ Choreographer Mark Minnick assembles a delightful cast for THE SOUND OF MUSIC. The children playing the young Von Trapps have charm and chops in both acting and song. Their many musical numbers are lively and vocally on point. Lucas Rahaim as Fredrich has a terrific falsetto. 

Adrienne Athanas plays Mother Abbess with more sympathy than sternness, and her voice simply soars. The vocals and harmonies of the opening “Preludium” give me goosebumps in a wonderful way, and establish the environment in which free-spirited Maria is supposed to thrive. The show’s signature song, “The Sound of Music,” sounds exactly the way it should, as Rachel Cahoun, who plays Maria, has the range and vocal emotiveness to personalize an overly-familiar song. She brings a tiny edge to Maria, a little manic flair that goes a long way to make this character relatable to contemporary audiences. The sequences she has with Jeffrey Shankle, who plays Captain Georg Von Trapp, are visually convincing of a couple falling in love.

Heather Marie Beck, as the Von Trapp family housekeeper Frau Schmidt, conveys a great deal of information with very few lines, as her physical presence and vocals tell a story even while her words are deliberately restricted. She doesn’t have enough stage time, in my opinion, as she’s great fun to watch. 

Asia-Lige Arnold playing Baroness Elsa, the Captain’s upscale future spouse of choice, is absolutely stunning. Her rich warm voice and elegant bearing set the stage aglow whenever she occupies it. She and David James, who plays the dryly witty, wheeling and dealing Max Detweiler in his inimitable sassy way, are excellent foils to Captain Von Trapp’s upright morality. The stage musical includes two numbers the film cut out, “How Can Love Survive?” and “No Way To Stop It” by the trio, which feature themes of class privilege and moral, er, flexibility. This musical, a prescient choice for a savvy theatrical organization, reminds us of the value of moral conviction, which, in context of the show, Captain Von Trapp refuses to compromise.

Mark Minnick directs and choreographs this show in a seamless, lyrical style. Some iconic moves from the movie are incorporated, which should please longtime fans.  One of Minnick’s strong points is that his choreography always suits the cast he has. There is one particular stop-motion sequence that is more difficult to execute than it looks, and it is exquisite and elegant. Music director and conductor Ross Scott Rawlings delivers the musical -est music from both the tiny orchestra he conducts and the vocalists he directs. The auditory flourishes are clear and immersive. Props to sound designer Mark Smedley- not one microphone has even one issue this evening, and the cast and band align in perfect balance.

Scenery in the round, especially outdoor settings, poses a significant challenge. Too much set is cumbersome to move on and off quickly, and too little feels barren. The real Alps, obviously, are not part of the scenery inside Toby’s. The imitation Alps, and the entire set, are thoughtfully done. Toby’s leans into some higher end technology than when I first began attending, and scenic designer David A. Hopkins uses them effectively. I particularly notice a stained glass rose window projection and hanging lanterns to designate the interior of the abbey. These lanterns float away into the fly as chandeliers for the Von Trapp home interior descend in their place.  Janine Sunday and Sarah King, costume designers, offer each character a look that’s not only period-appropriate, but also completely contemporary, a clever wordless commentary.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Toby’s will lift your spirits, put a song in your heart and a smile on your face. This classic show, now entertaining a fourth generation, feels lush and rich with detail and meaning. Celebrate your ability to enjoy the arts in an accessible environment and take home a little hum of your favorite things. 

Run Time: 2.5 Hours, with one intermission. Tickets are priced $50-$100.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC plays at Toby’s November 15th through January 12th, 2025. For tickets, phone the box office at 410-730-8311, 301-596-6161 or 1-800-88-TOBYS.  Box office hours are Monday- Saturday  10:00am- 8:00pm; Sunday  10:00am – 7:00pm.Tickets can be purchased online only through Ticketmaster. There are no other trustworthy online venues for tickets. 

Toby’s Dinner Theatre is in Columbia, Maryland, easily accessed from 29 Southbound, with plenty of free parking all around the building. Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia, 5900 Symphony Woods Road, Columbia, MD 21044

Doors open at 6pm Tuesday through Saturday evenings, with dinner from 6:30-7:20 for an 8 pm showtime. Wednesday and Sunday Matinees, the buffet is 10:30-11:50 am for a 12:30 pm show. Sunday evening supper is at 5:30 pm, with a 7 pm showtime. 

For additional information, visit www.tobysdinnertheatre.com.

To check out the show in advance, you can look at the online playbill.

Photo: Rachel Cahoon and Jeffrey Shankle as Maria and Captain Von Trapp

Photo Credit: Jeri Tidwell Photography

Final Factoid: THE SOUND OF MUSIC is all kinds of old. It’s set in 1938, based on memoirs published in 1949, which led to a 1956 German film, which caught the attention of an American stage director. The original Broadway production was in 1959. The movie, released in 1965, played in movie theaters for more than four years. After it had left the theaters, NBC acquired long-term television rights in 1977 and aired the movie annually for twenty years.

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