The Sound of Music at Asheville Community Theatre

Thanks to my three-year-old daughter, I’ve been intensely training for this Asheville Stages assignment. You see, she’s fallen in love with Julie Andrews, courtesy of a recent Mary Poppins viewing. On a recent road trip, she demanded that we listen to the entire The Sound of Music soundtrack. Three times.

I didn’t particularly mind. As the son of a Boomer mother who recalls the musical’s 1965 film adaptation as a formative cinematic experience, I also grew up with its tunes as a backdrop of my childhood. For me, it’s a cultural monument as towering as the Austrian Alps that Andrews’ Maria loves so dearly.

For the start of its 78th season, Asheville Community Theatre has chosen to attempt an ascent of this musical mountain. And while the production loses its footing in a few places, it generally guides audiences to satisfying views of The Sound of Music’s iconic vistas.

Those solely familiar with the film will find a number of surprises in the original Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical, starting with the opening scene: not Maria freely belting to the hills, but the nuns of Nonberg Abbey processing in from darkness as they sing a “Preludium.” As a cradle Catholic, I have to give kudos to music director Shua Scilex. Here and throughout the production, the ensemble of religious sisters sound their sacred harmonies with crystal clarity.

Maria, here played by ACT newcomer Amanda Clifton, gets her entrance soon enough and quickly establishes herself as a capable lead. Her range isn’t quite up to Andrews’ standard — although, honestly, whose is? — but she brings a likable stage presence and interacts well with other voices.

Filling the shoes of her other half, stern father of seven Captain von Trapp, is fellow ACT newbie Kit Johnson, perhaps the standout performance of this production. With an upright posture and authoritative voice, Johnson is completely believable as the Austrian naval hero, and his fine bass-baritone holds a striking sensitivity. (In that respect, he had one up on film von Trapp Christopher Plummer, whose singing voice was overdubbed in postproduction by Bill Lee.) He finds a solid arc for the character as well, transforming his initial cold sternness into a protector’s strength as he grows in love for Maria and his children.

Other performance highlights include Naimah “Nemo” Coleman tackling the high finale of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” as the Mother Abbess, Nick Toner bringing true teenage insouciance to bike messenger/Nazi joiner Rolf Gruber, and the well-trained children’s choir in heartbreaking harmony for the reprise of the title song. And costume designer McKinney Gough does an excellent job across a range of sartorial challenges, from the Captain’s crisp outfits and Maria’s wedding dress to the childrens’ play clothes of repurposed curtains. 

I found myself underwhelmed, however, by Jill Summers’ sets and Nicki LaRue’s prop design. While I appreciated some of the production team’s subtle touches, like the use of items from “My Favorite Things” in the art of the abbey’s stained glass, the stage often felt uncomfortably bare for a show in the classic Broadway tradition. Given the spectacle of last year’s kaleidoscopic Pippin, I know ACT is capable of more. 

I also detected an imprecision across many of the backing tracks conducted by M Kane. Perhaps it was just opening night jitters, but the performers felt slightly out of sync with the music in places; in others, such as the normally upbeat showpiece “The Lonely Goatherd,” tempos were oddly clunky.

Still, the cast delivered the musical’s beloved songs with heart and sincerity, from “Do-Re-Mi” to “Edelweiss.” The crowd was playfully cajoled not to sing along at the start of the show — but given the enthusiastic standing ovation at the end of the night, I can only imagine that the upcoming singalong performance on Thursday, Sept. 26, will be in high demand.

The Sound of Music runs through Sunday, Oct. 13, at Asheville Community Theatre. For details and tickets, visit ashevilletheatre.org.

(Photos by Eli Cunningham)