Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC at The Bank Of America Performing Arts Center

The Sound of Music debuted on Broadway November 16, 1959 as a musical loosely based on “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers,” a memoir written a decade earlier by the real-life Maria von Trapp. 

Since then, the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic has been the darling of stage and film, running for 1,443 performances on Broadway and inspiring the 1965 five-time Oscar-winning film starring Julie Andrews as well as a 1998 Broadway revival, a live TV special, and countless regional and high school productions. 

Suffice it to say, when you come to see the von Trapp brood and their beloved Maria sing old standbys like “Do-Re-Mi” and “My Favorite Things,” you know what you’re in for. That is, an endearing musical that’s family-friendly enough for kids but heavy enough that adults will see past the raindrops and roses to understand the darker picture. 

5-Star-Theatrical’s gorgeous and faithful production of Sound of Music, directed by Richard Israel and playing through July 28 at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, does just that: It delivers the classic show that we know and love — no more, no less — with stellar performances, stunning sets, and an energetic cast that will keep even the smallest audience members entertained. 

Based on a true story, the Sound of Music is set in Austria just before World War II. It follows Maria, a free-spirited woman who leaves her convent to become a governess to the seven children of the widowed Captain George von Trapp. Maria quickly brings music and joy back into the family's life, eventually falling in love with the captain. As the threat of the Nazi regime looms, the family must find a way to escape to safety.  

Shannon O’Boyle (whose credits include Broadway’s Once and Kinky Boots) gives a powerful and perfectly grounded performance as the nun-turned-governess Maria. She has both the voice and the charisma to pull off the role, and she has great chemistry with the kids who play the young von Trapps.

On that note, the kids — talented performers who range in age from 9 to 12 — are arguably the best and most delightful part of the show. All seven of them are standouts, from the tiny Ginny Cary, who plays young Gretl; to the talented Hannah Sedlacek, the eldest von Trapp daughter, Liesl. Sedlacek is a recent Pepperdine Theater grad whose voice is so good she may as well sub for Maria. 

Dia Day, who plays Brigitta von Trapp, is also adorably feisty in her role. After reading the program, it doesn’t surprise me that she’s been performing “since she was 18 months old.” 

In all, the kids not only brought an infectious energy to the stage; they also mesmerized the children in the audience, including my 9-year-old daughter, who was visibly less entranced during the show’s more adult scenes.

As for the music, it takes a lot of talent for any Sound of Music vocal performance to live up to our collective brew of “Whiskers on Kittens" nostalgia. But 5-Star-Theatricals’ cast pulls it off,  from Mother Abbess’s booming “Climb Every Mountain” (sung deftly by Cathy Newman) to Captain von Trapp’s heartfelt ballad, “Edelweiss” (sung by Broadway alum Jon Root). Liesl and Rolf’s duet, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” is also worth a shoutout; it feels age-appropriate and sweet, down to the whirling waltz the two actors do effortlessly across the stage (Rolf is played by Brody Tarrant Sitton, who just wrapped up PVPA’s A Chorus Line before landing this role). 

The sets also live up to expectations, featuring sprawling backdrops of Austria’s mountaintops or Maria's stone and glass convent layered into an expansive stage that’s also big enough to feature the two-story, three-dimensional facade of the von Trapp family home. 

In a day and age where antisemitism is still roaring its face worldwide, it is sobering to see the von Trapp family surrounded by giant swastikas on stage before they attempt their daring escape from the Nazis. It’s a powerful reminder that The Sound of Music is, at its core, a story of resilience set amid a horrid time in modern history. 

And that, just like when the dog bites and the bee stings, there’s always hope.   

The Sound of Music will play through July 28 at the Kavli Theatre at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center (formerly the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza), 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. Tickets start at $17 and are available at Ticketmaster.

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