THE SOUND OF MUSIC to Open at Paramount Theatre in November

The Sound of Music, one of the most beloved musicals of all time, has enchanted audiences for more than 50 years. This holiday season, Chicago audiences can experience this unforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein classic for the first time, or all over again, at downtown Aurora's Paramount Theatre.

Previews start November 9, 2022. Press opening is Friday, November 18, at 8 p.m. Due to popular demand, Paramount has extended The Sound of Music beyond its original closing date, January 8, with performances now running an additional week, through January 15, 2022. As usual, Paramount's lobby will be fully decked out in holiday decorations for the entire run, including a two-story Christmas tree.

The Sound of Music is the classic story of Maria, a care-free nun in training, sent by her convent to be the governess of a Navy captain's seven children. In her new role as tutor and guardian, Maria finds herself unexpectedly questioning her life path as she falls in love with the entire family, including Captain von Trapp. Music is at the heart of what unites them as they face tough decisions while Austria, their homeland, is on the brink of World War II. Do they stay or do they leave?

The hills are alive with The Sound of Music song list, performed live by Paramount's 16-member orchestra, and filled with Rodgers and Hammerstein standards like "Edelweiss," "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "Climb E'vry Mountain," "So, Long, Farewell," and the title song, "The Sound of Music."

The director is Paramount's own Amber Mak, who has staged so many unforgettable holiday blockbusters in years past, including Disney's Beauty and the Beast, nominated for six Jeff Awards including Best Musical, and The Wizard of Oz, which earned seven Jeff nominations including Best Musical and Best Director. Just wait until you experience Mak's staging of The Sound of Music, nominated for nine Tony Awards and winner of five, including Best Musical.

Previews start November 9. Opening Night is Friday, November 18, at 8 p.m. Performances run through January 15, 2023: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and

7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Exceptions: No 1:30 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, November 9. No show Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving). Added 3 p.m. matinee Friday, November 25. No 8 p.m. show Saturday, December 24 (Christmas Eve). No shows Sunday, December 25 (Christmas). Added 1:30 p.m. matinees Friday, December 23, Thursday, December 29, and Thursday, January 5. No 7 p.m. show Thursday, January 12.

Single tickets are $28 to $79. Three-show 2022-23 subscriptions including The Sound of Music, Into the Woods and School of Rock are also on sale, starting at just $51. For group discounts to The Sound of Music, contact Melissa Striedl, melissas@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2461.

Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Note: The Sound of Music is suggested for ages 5 and up, due to some discriminatory language, depiction of Nazis and images of swastikas.

The Sound of Music is sponsored by Rush Copley Medical Center and Jake's Inc. The Broadway Series is sponsored by Dunham Foundation, City of Aurora, BMO Harris Bank, ComEd and the Illinois Arts Council.

Principal cast members for Paramount's new staging of The Sound of Music are Alicia Kaori (Maria), Christopher Kale Jones (Captain Georg von Trapp), Susan Moniz (Mother Abbess), Sophie Grimm (Sister Margaretta), Ron E. Rains (Franz), Rengin Altay (Frau Schmidt), Emilie Lynn (Elsa Schraeder), Stephen Schellhardt (Max Detweiler), Josh Houghton (Herr Zeller), Michael Ehlers (Admiral von Schreiber) and Michael Harp (Rolf).

Julia Aragon plays Liesl, the eldest von Trapp child, at all performances. The actors playing the younger von Trapp children are double-cast and will rotate performances in two "teams":

Ava Barabasz (Gretl), Milla Liss (Brigitta), Savannah Lumar (Marta), Maddie Morgan (Louisa), Gage Richey (Friedrich), and Ezekiel Ruiz (Kurt).

Avelyn Choi (Marta) Genevieve Jane (Brigitta), Charlie Long (Kurt), Kara Reese (Louisa), Lena Soszynski (Gretl) and Brody Tyner (Friedrich).

The ensemble is Lexie Bailey, RODRIGO Ignacio CRUZ, Adam Fane, Margot Frank, Carisa Gonzalez, Michael Kingston, Jake DiMaggio Lopez, Maggie Malaney, Luke Nowakowski, Liz Pazik, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp, Maya Rowe, Nellie Shuford and Shelbi Voss. Covers for the child roles are Juliana Filapek (Louisa), Layla Joan (Brigitta/Marta), Kirin Pauline (Friedrich) and Elias Totleben (Kurt).

The full production team is Amber Mak, director and choreographer; Kory Danielson, music director and conductor; Jeffrey D. Kmiec, scenic designer; Theresa Ham, costume designer; José Santiago, lighting designer; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and makeup designer; Jesse Gaffney, properties designer; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Susan Gosdick, dialect coach; Peter Ruiz, dramaturg; Jamie Anderson, associate director; Lexie Bailey, associate choreographer; Kailey Rockwell, associate music director and associate conductor; Daniel J. Hanson, stage manager; and Erin Nicole Eggers and Matthew Silar, assistant stage managers.

Mak's Paramount directing and choreography credits include Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Elf, Hairspray and Rock of Ages. She was also the choreographer for Paramount's world premiere of The Secret of My Success.

"Thank you for supporting live theater as we continue to emerge from when our doors were closed and our stages were dark. The artists, artisans and staff of the theater are very much like the edelweiss of the mountains, blooming out of the dark with new life, vibrancy, determination, resilience, love and radical appreciation to continue to create beauty together in the world," wrote Mak in her director's note. "I ask that you allow yourself to release any preconceived notions of what you think of this musical. Please hear this show as if you have never heard it before. Although this piece was written 63 years ago about events that happened 84 years ago, the story feels as contemporary and poignant as ever in our current world."

The Sound of Music was the last musical written by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics). Hammerstein died of stomach cancer nine months after the Broadway premiere. The book, by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers." The original Broadway production, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, opened in 1959 and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, out of nine nominations. It was adapted as a 1965 film musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.



Special Events

Pay What You Can Performances
Thursday, November 10, 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 12, 3 p.m.

Paramount is offering two Pay What You Can performances of The Sound of Music: Thursday, November 10, at 7 p.m, and Saturday, November 12 at 3 p.m. Both days, starting at 10 a.m., visit the Paramount Theatre box office in-person to request tickets. Limit four per person. See paramountaurora.com/pay-what-you-can for details.

Access Services

Paramount will offer open and closed captioning during the added matinee, Thursday, January 5 at 1:30 p.m.

The performance on Friday, January 6, at 8 p.m., will be interpreted in American Sign Language.

Paramount offers assistive listening devices free of charge at all performances. Check in at the coat room before the show to borrow a listening device.

If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office at (630) 896-6666 or boxoffice@paramountarts.com in advance.

Paramount Theatre's Covid-19 commitment to and safety and protocol

Paramount Theatre has followed, and will continue to follow, the requirements of the State of Illinois and the Kane County Health Department. Therefore, Paramount is following the guidance of the State of Illinois and recommends, but no longer requires, masks, proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for patrons. Mask wearing is strongly encouraged, but will be optional. For complete details, please read Paramount's full Covid Policy.

What's next in Paramount's 11th Anniversary Broadway Series?

Into the Woods, a seminal work by the late Stephen Sondheim, reimagines Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella and other Brothers Grimm characters in one of the most astounding and original fairytale retellings the stage has ever seen. Paramount Artistic Director Jim Corti and Associate Artistic Producer Trent Stork co-direct Paramount's journey Into the Woods. Performances are February 1-March 19, 2023. Opening Night is Friday, February 10, at 8 p.m.

Are you ready to rock?, because Paramount Theatre's 11th season finale is School of Rock, the fun-loving musical based on the popular Jack Black movie, from the genius mind of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Trent Stork directs. Performances are April 12- June 4, 2023. Opening Night is Friday, April 21, at 8 p.m.

Join the growing ranks of more than 33,000 Broadway Series subscribers at downtown Aurora's Paramount Theatre. Three-play 2022-23 subscriptions including The Sound of Music, Into the Woods and School of Rock are still on sale, starting at just $51.

To subscribe, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora.


About Paramount Theatre

Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora's anchor attraction since 1931.

After launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre grew to be the second largest subscription house in the U.S. Before Covid, more than 41,000 subscribers from all over Chicagoland and the Midwest were enjoying Paramount's critically acclaimed, 2019-20 Broadway-caliber productions. In addition, Paramount also presents an array of internationally known comedians, musicians, dance troupes and family shows annually.

Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority. ACCA also oversees downtown Aurora's newly renovated 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount's new BOLD Series, along with the Paramount School of the Arts, RiverEdge Park, the city's 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, and Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in summer 2023.

Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.

For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com

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