Owosso’s ‘The Sound of Music’ unimaginable in many ways 

When I was a boy, my mom took me to see a community theater production of “The Sound of Music.” It was my first play experience. Hearing the Rodgers and Hammerstein songs performed live — and often by kids near my age — made me an immediate fan of the theater. 

The packed house for the Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts’ Sunday matinee of the famous musical included lots of kids. Many were the age I was when I saw it. They all had the transfixed look of wonder I surely had in the ‘60s. 

The grownups during Owosso’s staging of the “The Sound of Music” had similar looks of awe and admiration. For the curtain calls, the entire audience rose for an extended standing ovation.  

The Lebowsky version gives countless reasons to deserve such reactions — beginning with the seven kids who play the von Trapp children.   

Ranging from high school to elementary school ages, the clan quickly showed that they are more than simply adorable. Each of the descending-in-height actors demonstrate professional singing, dancing and acting skills. 

DeWitt High School senior Lauren Schorfhaar, as Liesl, and Owosso Central Elementary second grader Scarlett Duffield, as Gretl, attract the most attention,  Schorfhaar for her mighty voice and dance moves, and the diminutive Duffield for her ability to match the other talented young performers — and for her impossible-to-ignore charm. 

None of the adults in “The Sound of Music” offers any weak links, either. Rachael Cupples provides Mother Abbess with a divine voice.  Quentin Brainerd II is a respectable Captain Georg von Trapp who can be an authoritative master of decorum and a solid singer and guitarist. 

Even though Kaila Szafranski’s Maria Rainer never plays the guitar she frequently carries on stage, her vocals, dancing and thespian skills command and shine in the central role throughout the two-and-a-half-hour musical. 

Erica Bradley’s marvelous choreography is inventive. The well-orchestrated and well-executed dance moves in “The Sound of Music” are a big part of why the show is entertaining. 

Garrett Bradley’s direction keeps the focus on the fabulous dance and musical numbers. The show never drags. 

His cast is well-rehearsed and in sync.  Bradley’s casting pairs appropriate actors for each role. Sometimes, views of certain characters are blocked — not unexpected with 22 cast members and seven in the ensemble.  With the complex movements in “The Sound of Music” by so many, it’s amazing how Bradley avoids any collisions.  

The three-story set by Dirk Rennick and Dan Wenzlick is magical. By opening or sealing parts of a painted mountainside view, the space transforms into a church, family estate and more. Effective lighting by Adam Gordon adds to the illusions. 

I can’t imagine the orchestra I saw as a kid being more impressive than Owosso’s 16 expert musicians, who are directed by Jillian Boots. Although hidden in a pit below the stage, their power is a noticeable force throughout the show. The Lebowsky orchestra does justice to Richard Rodgers’ music made famous by the 1959 Broadway production and the 1965 movie with Julie Andrews. 

When the orchestra accompanies the cast belting out familiar songs like “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” and the title tune, even non-theater aficionados will be moved. 

“The Sound of Music” 

8 p.m. March 4 & 5  

3 p.m. March 5 & 6 

Tickets ($18-$25) available at lebowskycenter.com 

Office: (989) 723-4003 

Masks required.