The Real Chicago

Top Menu

  • Home
  • E-newsletter
  • Contact

Main Menu

  • Home
  • The Big City Blog
  • General Features
  • Around Town
    • First Look – Reviews
    • Hidden Gems
    • Inside Scoop
  • Eat. Drink. Shop.
    • Good Eats
    • Signature Dishes
    • A Round of Drinks
    • Shop Around the Corner
  • The Local Angle
    • Chicago Insider
    • The Local Corner
    • My Chicago
  • Interviews
  • Forum
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Home
  • E-newsletter
  • Contact

logo

Header Banner

The Real Chicago

  • Home
  • The Big City Blog
  • General Features
  • Around Town
    • First Look – Reviews
    • Hidden Gems
    • Inside Scoop
  • Eat. Drink. Shop.
    • Good Eats
    • Signature Dishes
    • A Round of Drinks
    • Shop Around the Corner
  • The Local Angle
    • Chicago Insider
    • The Local Corner
    • My Chicago
  • Interviews
  • Forum
  • Chicago’s hidden gems: Kiss Kiss Cabaret, Unabridged Bookstore, Lulu Belle’s Pancake House and TNT at The Annoyance

  • New on the scene: Recapping recent restaurant and bar openings in Chicago

  • The Big City Blog: A Chicago summer bucket list

  • Outdoor drinking: A guide to some of our favorite beer gardens and rooftops in Chicago

  • A day at the museum: Exploring the iconic Field Museum in Chicago

First Look - Reviews
Home›featured-blogs›First Look - Reviews›First Look review: Jack O’Brien’s The Sound of Music is a fresh, charming version of the well-loved musical

First Look review: Jack O’Brien’s The Sound of Music is a fresh, charming version of the well-loved musical

By TheRealChicagoOnline
June 14, 2016
781
0
Share:

Your ads will be inserted here by

Easy Ads.

Please go to the plugin admin page to set up your ad code.

03.TheSoundofMusic.KAnderson.VonTrappKids

By Rachel Summerfield

Playing at: The Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, through June 19. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. most days, with weekend performances at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. www.BroadwayInChicago.com

Basic storyline: The Sound of Music is one of America’s most loved, and most versatile, musicals, with classic songs such as “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things” and “Climb Every Mountain” that prove almost impossible not to sing along to. The musical, based on a memoir, tells the story of Maria Rainer (Kerstin Anderson), a girl who is slated to become a nun but in whom the Mother Abbess (Melody Betts) sees potential and a zest for life outside the convent walls. She wills Maria to take the much-needed job of governess for a nearby estate with seven rowdy, precocious children, and their taciturn, stately, military father, Captain Georg von Trapp (Ben Davis). Maria falls in love, first with the children, whose hearts she wins through music and by letting them have fun and freedom as children should have, and then with the Captain.

What stood out: All the actors brought a vivid, fresh flair to their characters, and helped flesh out this production’s theme of “you have to look for your life.” Kerstin Anderson plays Maria with a little of the wide-eyed innocence that Maria’s character is known for, but more intuitive, hipper, dreamier and pluckier — and an incredibly believable and likeable teacher; a girl who clicks and finds her place, at last, with the von Trapps, and ultimately transforms into a vision of grace and beauty in her elegant Renaissance-like wedding gown from costume designer Jane Greenwood.

The kids, overall, steal the show with their crystal-clear voices and adorable yet conniving antics, but Iris Davies’ performance as the matter-of-fact, bespectacled Brigitta had the audience on the edge of their seats waiting for her next words of wisdom that often ended up bringing Maria and the Captain closer together.10.TheSoundOfMusic.FoardHansenDavis

Your ads will be inserted here by

Easy Ads.

Please go to the plugin admin page to set up your ad code.

Merwin Foard offers comedic relief as the indulgent, tongue-in-cheek Max Detweiler, both family friend and political advisor. Paige Silvester as Liesl perfectly captures being 16, pouty, precocious and so ready for the next stage of life, but ultimately reminded that she is allowed to be a child; she makes a wonderful foil to Anderson’s Maria as Maria settles down. Ben Davis is handsome and charming as he defrosts into the man Maria loves and the father of seven wonderful children — especially in an incredibly touching moment when he hears his children sing for the first time in years.

Douglas W. Schmidt’s set is ambitious, alluring and bucolic, almost reminiscent of a fairytale with each scene dreamily darkened and hazed by a scrim. An eyelet lace theme is used on the walls of both the convent and the von Trapp mansion, which features massive windows and its classic staircase. The staircase is solid, but everything else is airy, making use of the space and making it appear much larger, as characters peer over the audience in search of beautiful Austrian sunsets.

Maria’s gorgeous room, with its armoir, open window and the massive dark wood beams suggesting an attic, as well as some spectacular and impressive lightning, make the scene with the children crowding into the room for “The Lonely Goatherd” crackle to life. In fact, Natasha Katz’ exquisite lighting added to the “storybook” feeling of elements leaping off the page (or stage) as well: In “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” Rolf (Dan Tracy) and Liesl have a joyful, impromptu dance, and all the light and world around them seems to go grey, but they are lit brilliantly, beaming like stars.

Final thoughts: This show is a crowd-pleaser and a gem. It has a rare ability to capture the hearts of an entirely diverse crowd of all ages, so I would highly suggest seeing it before the cast heads off on national tour. Even though we all know (spoilers) the classic ending of Maria ending up marrying Captain von Trapp, this production sells you on the tragic notion that maybe she won’t — and your heart longs for her to stay. Go for the nostalgia of The Sound of Music, but stay to develop an appreciation for the new takes on the characters and themes.

Your ads will be inserted here by

Easy Ads.

Please go to the plugin admin page to set up your ad code.

TagsBroadway in ChicagoCadillac Palace TheatreChicago musicalsChicago TheatreJack O'BrienKerstin AndersonThe Real ChicagoThe Sound of Music
Previous Article

First Look review: Watch good Midwestern people ...

Next Article

Chicago Insider Shannon Boland on favorite Thai ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

TheRealChicagoOnline

Related articles More from author

  • First Look - Reviews

    First Look review: Chicago History Museum’s new exhibit, “Amplified: Chicago Blues,” highlights the city’s influence on the 1950s-60s movement

    July 7, 2018
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • First Look - Reviews

    First Look review: Steppenwolf’s take on Orwell’s “1984” offers an intense vision of life under an oppressive government

    November 8, 2015
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • Shop Around the Corner

    Shop Around the Corner: Lincoln Park’s Margaret O’Leary mixes contemporary, relaxed California style with subtle Irish flare

    July 6, 2017
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • First Look - Reviews

    First Look review: “Eternal Youth” at the Museum of Contemporary Art gives a provocative perspective on pop culture

    March 30, 2017
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • First Look - Reviews

    First Look review: Shattered Globe’s “For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday” is a fun reminder that you can always ...

    April 27, 2017
    By TheRealChicagoOnline
  • The Big City Blog

    Big City Blog: Links Taproom named “Best Beer Bar in Illinois,” Taste of the Gold Coast and new exhibits at ...

    March 9, 2017
    By TheRealChicagoOnline

You might be interested

  • Around TownGeneral Features

    The Halsted boutiques: Don’t be afraid to break away from Michigan Avenue to explore some of Lincoln Park’s trendy shops

  • Around TownHidden Gems

    Chicago’s hidden gems: Swim Cafe, Rudy’s Roundup General Store and Colors and Bottles

  • Around TownGeneral Features

    Down-home Chicago: The search for the city’s best comfort food

  • LATEST REVIEWS

  • TOP REVIEWS

Timeline

  • November 11, 2021

    Inside Scoop: Massive FoBAB beer festival returns to Chicago this weekend, Nov. 12-13

  • July 31, 2019

    Chicago Insider Etienne Padin on obscure museums, shopping in Andersonville and dining at Maple & Ash

  • July 30, 2019

    First Look review: CMX CineBistro provides a fun, fresh take on the luxury dine-in theater experience

  • July 28, 2019

    Finger lickin’ good: Six trusted Chicago spots for a stellar barbecue experience

  • July 25, 2019

    The Big City Blog: Four Friday Night Flights beer tastings remain this summer, including July 26 in Ravenswood

Latest Comments

  • The 14 Best Fireplaces in Chicago | UrbanMatter
    on
    October 11, 2017
    […] Photo Credit: The Real Chicago […]

    Cozy on up: We asked active Chicagoans for their favorite spots to warm up in the ...

  • Why You Should Visit a Museum | FreeForAll.org
    on
    January 16, 2017
    […] Photo Credit: Therealchicago   […]

    It’s cold out there: A few spots to warm up this winter

  • Why You Should Visit a Museum – FreeForAll.org
    on
    October 23, 2016
    […] Photo Credit: Therealchicago   […]

    It’s cold out there: A few spots to warm up this winter

  • The Real Chicago – The Big City Blog: A very Chicago night on the town
    on
    May 31, 2016
    […] up was The Redhead Piano Bar for drinks and live music. I’ve said it before ...

    Friendly, unfussy, and serious about music: Hanging with Marshall Nelson from the Redhead Piano Bar

  • Scouting Logan Square: A Renewed Historical Neighborhood - The Annex, a blog by Casamatic
    on
    March 10, 2016
    […] (cover photo via The Real Chicago) […]

    The rise of Logan Square: Why this diverse area has quickly become one of Chicago’s hottest ...

Find us on Facebook

Originally launched in 2006, The Real Chicago — as a glossy entertainment magazine, website and email newsletter — has consistently provided the very best insider information, features and reviews to help both tourists and active locals get the most out of exploring the greatest city on Earth.
  • Latest Posts

  • Inside Scoop: Massive FoBAB beer festival returns to Chicago this weekend, Nov. 12-13

    By TheRealChicagoOnline
    November 11, 2021
  • Chicago Insider Etienne Padin on obscure museums, shopping in Andersonville and dining at Maple & ...

    By TheRealChicagoOnline
    July 31, 2019
  • First Look review: CMX CineBistro provides a fun, fresh take on the luxury dine-in theater ...

    By TheRealChicagoOnline
    July 30, 2019

Photostream

    Follow us

    © Copyright The Real Chicago. All rights reserved.