With Paramount’s ‘Sound of Music’, this season’s favorite things include raindrops on roses and poinsettias

Alicia Kaori. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Amber Mak’s favorite things are named Teagan and Kieran.

No, the uber-talented director and choreographer of Paramount Theatre’s The Sound of Music hasn’t changed the names of the von Trapp children. Teagan and Kieran are the names of her own. But Mak’s devotion to motherhood clearly, winningly, lovingly influences her vision in this magnificent seasonal production of the beloved Richard Rodgers’ and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Tony Award-winning musical.

Anyone who has seen numerous screen and stage creations of the title—for musical theatre aficionados, that’s pretty much everyone—will be taken by Mak’s fresh approach, her Broadway-ready thirty-plus member cast, magical vocals and stunning visuals. That’s not to say this Sound of Music is some avant-garde depiction a la the recent Oklahoma! Everyone will fully recognize this honorable World War II-era tale of an Austrian postulant-turned-nanny who ultimately captivates a naval captain, flees the Nazis then, presumably, lives happily ever after. And it’s made all the better with Mak’s subtle influences.

Appropriate for the holidays that center on children’s visions of sugarplums, the biggest take away from this production is its emotional focus on the von Trapp kids. The very best scenes are those featuring the siblings’ singing—“Do-Re-Mi,” “So Long, Farewell” and especially, “The Lonely Goatherd.” This is true not because of the truly phenomenal vocals (though they are), but for the obvious growth in tenderness and intimacy among the brothers, sisters and the woman destined to become their new mother. Setting these scenes just off-center stage further punctuates their effect. They are foundational to setting up the pivotal scene when Maria courageously scolds Captain Georg von Trapp for failing to know his own children and show them his love. This ultimately fosters the couple’s love and leads to their union.

Dulcet-voiced Alicia Kaori makes her Paramount and Chicagoland debut as Maria. She sings everything to perfection, and it’s a fair bet that Jeffs, Tonys and/or Grammys are in this young, talented powerhouse’s future. Here, her maternal instincts win over the Von Trapp children and ultimately their father, played terrifically by Christopher Kale Jones. The children’s lovely harmonies make them all stars, but it’s Julia Aragon as Liesl who deserves special mention for her stirring renditions of “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” first with the talented Michael Harp as delivery boy Rolf and in the reprise with Kaori.

Two musical choices made for this production are most appreciated. The empowering, “I Have Confidence,” written for the 1965 movie, is a welcome inclusion, particularly with Keori’s exquisite vocals. And importing the Maria/Georg duet "Something Good," also written for the movie to replace the Broadway production's, "An Ordinary Couple," not only enhances the romantic spark between Kaori and Jones, it’s also this reviewer’s opinion that “Something Good” is a far lovelier song.

Additional cast standouts are Emilie Lynn as Elsa Schroeder and Stephen Schellhardt as Max Detweiler. Their obvious chemistry, along with the choice to depict Elsa as less shrewish than typical, turns the duo into a much more likeable pair, with Max a fun comic foil. Lynn’s and Schellhardt’s “How Can Love Survive?” trio with Jones is first-rate. So, too, is the magnificent performance of Susan Moniz as Mother Abess and the bevy of gorgeously singing nuns.

Perhaps most importantly of all, this is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that moves along with impeccable timing—to wit, the climactic scene when Rolf finds the family hiding but makes the pivotal choice to keep their secret. It mercifully proceeds without unnecessary flashlight searching or prolonged gnashing of teeth. We already know they’re not singing, “My Favorite Things,” there again. Time to climb that mountain.

Additional recognition goes to Paramount’s fabulous creatives. Theresa Ham’s costumes; José Santiago’s lighting; Adam Rosenthal’s sound; Katie Cordts’ wigs, hair and makeup; and Kory Danielson’s music direction are, predictably for Paramount, perfectly professional. Front and center among this group is the jaw-dropping work of Scenic Designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec. His imposing, ever-present arch of the Nonberg Abbey is central to Mak’s artistic vision for this production, where each scene may be viewed as either looking into the Abbey or outward from it. Simply magnificent.

In her director’s note, Mak writes that in preparing for this production, she watched the Julie Andrews movie rendition with her own five-year-old daughter. It made her realize there’s a new generation taking in this story for the first time. Audiences through the season are sure to delight in Paramount’s beautifully poignant telling, profoundly influenced by this mother’s touch. 

The Sound of Music runs through January 15th at The Paramount Theatre, 23 East Galena Boulevard, Aurora, IL. For tickets or more information, please call (630) 896-6666 or visit www.paramountaurora.com.

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