Durham is alive with 'The Sound of Music'

A new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” hit the stage at DPAC Friday night as a part of The Greatest Hits of Broadway at DPAC.

Thanks to my grandmother’s love of musicals, I’ve been a lifelong fan of Julie Andrews and known the words to every song since I was a child. I was so ready for this new experience.

As I experienced at DPAC when I saw Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” there are some departures from the award-winning film, but all of the elements audiences have cherished for years, notably the Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning Best Score, are there.

Jill-Christine Wiley gives off serious Disney princess vibes in her portrayal of Maria Rainer. So much so that during intermission I checked the playbill to confirm that she was most recently Belle in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” AND she has played the role of Ariel.

While at first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the more dramatic portrayal of Maria, I simply couldn’t resist Wiley’s charm. Maria seems much more relatable and troubled. Her struggle with life in the abbey vs. the outside world seems remarkably similar to Ariel’s sea vs. land conundrum. By the time the nuns asked, “How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you hold a cloud and pin it down?” I was equally as puzzled and completely on board with the new Maria.

Vocal standouts for me were The Mother Abbess (Lauren Kidwell) and Liesl (Kelsie Ward). Kidwell brought thunderous applause from the DPAC audience with the powerful “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” Goosebumps. Meanwhile, Ward’s Liesel was much more 16 going on 17 than the film version. It was refreshing.

Of course, the Von Trapp children steal the show. Maria brings music back into the their home, and Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl spring to life. You get a bit more understanding of the uniqueness of each child from the show, too. Maybe I’m biased because my sister played the role in a community theatre production, but Brigitta (Valeria Wick) stands out amongst the others.

There were moments of laughter, sadness, hope and even fear throughout the production, which is just what you want from a night at the theater. The orchestra, directed by Michael Uselmann, made the production feel complete through classics including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” and the title song.

You won’t want to miss the show running through Sunday at DPAC. There are limited tickets remaining.​