‘Sound of Music’ tour alive with pre-WWII politics, fleshed-out supporting roles 

The former Old Globe artistic director Jack O’Brien’s latest interpretation of the “The Sound of Music” is in San Diego through this weekend, with a renewed focus on the political landscape of the family drama.

You know the history behind the famed musical: Aristocrats were ready to capitulate to Germany during the 1938 Anschluss, or Nazi annexation of Austria, to stave off an invasion while the head of the von Trapp family refuses to bend the knee. 

O’Brien’s depiction of the real-life von Trapp Family Singers includes Kevin Earley, playing a grieving, closed-off Naval hero Captain Georg von Trapp. He transforms into an earnest, teasing father thanks to the devotion of whimsical Catholic novitiate Maria Rainer (Cayleigh Capaldi), sent from the local abbey as a governess for his seven motherless children. 

Yet even as his heart softens to Maria and his children, with whom he stopped playing after the death of his childhood sweetheart, he never waivers in his opposition to German occupation, leading to the family’s eventual flight over the mountains. 

O’Brien has revived the 1959 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical “The Sound of Music” twice and each production had unique distinctions from the iconic Julie Andrews film, as well as the original stage show. The 1965 movie is best described as a journey of self-discovery for a naive nun-to-be who finds her dream life outside the church

In 2015, O’Brien added more romance to the backdrop of pre-World War II Austria and brought back songs cut from the film. In 2025, in addition to making the political underpinnings of the family drama more obvious from the start, O’Brien also reinterprets many characters and their relationships with each other.

In particular, more scenes occur between the orphaned Maria and the convent leader Mother Abbess (Christiane Noll). O’Brien sees the women as having similar backgrounds: Both grew up in the same neighborhood before entering the convent, but eventually choose diverging paths.

O’Brien also presents oldest daughter Liesl’s (Ariana Ferch) love interest, Rolf Gruber (Ian Coursey), as an outcast teen ready to be preyed on by a cult, rather than being driven by ideological extremism. 

But it is Max Detweiler, played by Nicholas Rodriguez, who fascinates the most as an artistic, flamboyant music director trying to ingratiate himself to the Third Reich for his personal safety while covertly acting to protect his longtime friend Captain von Trapp. Detweiler isn’t overly queer-coded, yet enough hints are there – his affect, glaring singleness and artistic bent – that it’s clear he could have faced persecution from the Nazis. 

Max may portray himself as foppish, but he always acts with a strategy in mind. He repeatedly tries to convince Captain von Trapp to ingratiate himself to the Nazis, as he himself does, yet risks his political capital to shield his friend, seemingly without hesitation.

However, more character depth among the ensemble does split focus from the romantic leads in what is still a long show, though it never drags. A few of the seven children get lost as well, although others, like Haddie Mac as Brigitta, shine anew. 

The nostalgia of the soundtrack remains, brought forth by a large, talented cast. A few songs will be new to movie-only audiences, like the funny “How Can Love Survive?” by Elsa Schraeder (Kate Loprest), Max and Captain von Trapp. The same trio argue over politics in “No Way To Stop It.” 

The placement of some songs is different as well, with “My Favorite Things” sung first by Maria and Mother Abbess as they recall the peasant song of their childhood, rather than Maria with the children during the thunderstorm. They instead find comfort with the silly “The Lonely Goatherd.” 

The scenery, from Douglas W. Schmidt, of the Austrian mountains, church and villa, is quite lovely and offset perfectly by lighting from Natasha Katz. Jane Greenwood also executed the ever-important costume design well.  

The national “Sound of Music” tour continues at the Civic Theatre through Sunday. Find tickets at BroadwaySD.com.