Ashley Blanchet as Maria Rainer. Photo © Jeremy Daniel

(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse is presenting The Sound of Music now through Sunday, January 1, 2023. Celebrate the holidays with the heart-soaring melodies of The Sound of Music, including such beloved gems as "My Favorite Things," "Edelweiss," and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain." Directed by Paper Mill Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee, Rodgers and Hammerstein's final musical conjures an Austria replete with rolling hills, singing nuns, and a tender love story, set in the shadow of World War II. 

The production features Ashley Blanchet (Paper Mill’s Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Broadway’s Waitress) as Maria Rainer, Graham Rowat (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen, Sunset Boulevard) as Captain Georg von Trapp, Cáitlín Burke (The Sound of Music national tour) as Mother Abbess, Emily Borromeo (Broadway’s School of Rock, The Prom first national tour) as Elsa Schraeder, Gavin Lee (Paper Mill’s Beauty and the Beast, Broadway’s SpongeBob SquarePants) as Max Detweiler, Analise Scarpaci (Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda) as Liesl von Trapp, Andrew Alstat as Rolf Gruber (Grease at Cape Playhouse, The Sound of Music at the Muny), Stacia Fernandez (Paper Mill’s Beauty and the Beast, Broadway’s Mamma Mia!) as Frau Schmidt, Christopher Gurr (Paper Mill’s The Sting, Broadway’s Kinky Boots) as Herr Zeller, Paul Slade Smith (Broadway’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, My Fair Lady) as Franz, and Mark Banik (Beautiful first national tour) as Admiral von Schreiber.

Here are some photos from the production.

Charlotte Sydney Harrington, Tara Rajan, Jacey Sink, Analise Scarpaci, Coleman Simmons, Cody Braverman, Austin Elle Fisher as the Von Trapp Children. Photo ©Jeremy Daniel

Graham Rowat as Captain Georg von Trapp, Ashley Blanchet as Maria Rainer, with Tara Rajan (Brigitta) and Cody Braverman (Kurt). Photo ©Jeremy Daniel

Graham Rowat as Captain Georg von Trapp, Gavin Lee as Max Detweiler, Emily Borromeo as Elsa Schrader. Photo ©Evan Zimmerman

Cáitlín Burke as Mother Abbess and Ensemble. Photo © Evan Zimmerman 

The von Trapp children are played by Coleman Simmons (age 14, from West Orange, NJ) as Friedrich, Jacey Sink (age 12, from Summit, NJ) as Louisa, Cody Braverman (age 10, from Short Hills, NJ) as Kurt, Tara Rajan (age 9, from Sands Point, NY) as Brigitta, Austin Elle Fisher (age 9, from Tinton Falls, NJ) as Marta, Charlotte Sydney Harrington (age 7, from Shelton, CT) as Gretl, and standbys Charlotte Ewing (age 11, from Chatham, NJ) and Ethan Joseph (age 12, from Somerset, NJ).

The ensemble cast features Griffin Binnicker, Dean Cestari, Brittany Conigatti, Nick Davis, Vincent DiPeri, Madeleine Doherty, Eric Michael Gillett, Gina Hanzlik, Katie Horner, Mary Illes, Meredith Lustig, Kate Mazza, Christine Price, Chandler Reeves, Emily Royer, Kayleen Seidl, Ariana Valdes, and Kai B. White.

Directed by Paper Mill’s Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee, The Sound of Music features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Kenny Ingram (Paper Mill’s Songs for a New World, A Jolly Holiday and Dreamgirls) returns to choreograph, alongside Meg Zervoulis (Broadway’s Funny Girl and 2020 West Side Story revival) as music director and conductor.

The Sound of Music features scenic design by Kelly James Tighe (PMP’s Songs for a New World and Jolly Holiday), based on original scenic design by James Fouchard (PMP’s Kiss Me, Kate and Grease); costume design by Leon Dobkowski (PMP’s Annie, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike), based on original costume design by Tony Award winner Catherine Zuber (Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire, Moulin Rouge!); lighting design by Charlie Morrison (PMP’s On Your Feet!, Sister Act); sound design by Sun Hee Kil (Suffs at The Public, Broadway’s Choir Boy); and hair and wig design by Jimmy Goode (The Public’s As You Like It, Suffs). Gary Mickelson serves as Production Stage Manager. Casting is by Nora Brennan Casting, CSA.

Tickets start at $35 may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at papermill.org.  Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a up to 30% discount on tickets and should call 973.376.4343. Students may purchase $20 tickets. Patrons under 30 years old may purchase tickets for $30 to any performance. Three-show and four-show subscription packages are also available starting at just $111.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director). A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics.