Studio Tenn and CPA Arts team up for charming production of 'The Sound of Music'

By Amy Stumpfl June 29,2023

With its uplifting story and unforgettable score, The Sound of Music has been delighting audiences young and old since its Broadway premiere in 1959. And if the new coproduction from Studio Tenn Theatre Company and CPA Arts is any indication, this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic still has the power to charm and entertain.

Inspired by the 1949 memoir of Maria Augusta Trapp, the familiar story follows a spirited young postulant who leaves the abbey to work as a governess for a large family in 1938 Austria. Of course, wrangling a cast of 39 – including two separate youth casts, who alternate as the von Trapp children – is no easy task. But director/choreographer Emily Speck (who serves as the Artistic Coordinator at CPA) offers a clear vision. And while the opening-night performance took a few minutes to find its rhythm, it’s lovely to see so many youngsters (including 17 current CPA students) performing alongside such top-notch professionals.