- Todd Rosenberg/Lyric Opera
- Jenn Gambatese as Maria, about to meet her future
I’d like to say this Mariaesque flub-up wasn’t my fault, but it was.
As bad career moments go, it’s right up there.
Like the warhorses of the opera repertoire, The Sound of Music, which opened on Broadway in 1959, is very familiar to its audience, most of whom can hum nearly every tune. Chalk that up to the 1965 movie version, which the stage show now competes with, but also complements. This intimacy with story, score, and characters makes any performance a kind of ritual. That can be deadly, but in this vast venue, it’s an asset. And director Marc Bruni, whose current Broadway show, Beautiful, is a hit, isn’t screwing with the audience’s expectations. When Jenn Gambatese—a powerhouse as both actor and singer—makes her entrance as Maria, we know what she ought to be, and can quickly see (and hear) that she won’t disappoint.
The Sound of Music Through 5/25, times vary; see website, Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker, 312-332-2244, lyricopera.org, $29-$199.
