Review of The Sound of Music National Tour

by Katie Beltramo

You already know that The Sound of Music is a fantastic family-friendly story with some of the most engaging songs ever written. But should you and your kids go to the show? Of course you should! Kids absolutely love to see real, live professional child actors on stage, and the seven von Trapp offspring are sure to thrill them. 

Cayleigh Capaldi's Maria is extraordinarily charming, with soaring vocals and a graceful, warm manner that makes it easy to see why, in this version, she doesn't have to suffer through much hazing at all with her new charges. She, along with Christiane Noll, as Mother Abbess, and Ariana Ferch, as Liesl, made fantastic enunciation while hitting the high notes seem easy.

The scenery is gorgeous, with soaring stained glass, mountain views, and a lovely villa staircase and terrace, all elements that are relatively spare, but fit in nicely with our expectations.

The group costumes like the cast-off curtain play clothes and festival folkwear are lovely, although some of the menswear, like the Captain's gathered suit jackets, are just too unflattering, especially for romantic leads. It's hard enough when we know that Rolf's becoming a Nazi, but it doesn't help when the Nazism is coupled with lederhosen and a multipocketed vest. Poor girl! She doesn't get out much.

The Sound of Music offers a little something for everyone of every age, and because it's such a familiar story, it's easy for even younger viewers to follow. The songs are crowd pleasers (although you may, like me, miss I Have Confidence), and it's difficult not to sing along (honestly, I was hoping that they'd encourage us to sing along with Edelweiss). And, my favorite, it's a great show to spark family conversations. Some ideas about what to talk about before and after the show follow.

Things to talk about before seeing the show:

• Especially for kids who are familiar with the movie, explain that there will be some variations, and you may even set them a challenge to predict how it might vary and why.
• There are enough scenes in Nonnberg Abbey that it's a good idea to explain that a young woman who was interested in becoming a nun would arrive as a postulant to learn more by living in the abbey, then the next step would be to become a novice nun for perhaps a year or two before taking vows to be a nun for life. Maria is in that first phase of learning if she can live among the nuns in the abbey.
• The politics in Austria is another important element of the plot. The Sound of Music takes place in the spring of 1939. Just in case you need a refresher, Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, and he argued that some neighboring countries, like Austria and Czechoslovakia, were "ethnically German" and thus should be annexed to Germany. The Anschluss, or annexation of Austria, happened in March 1939, and World War II formally began in Europe in September 1939. At that point, Germany had already gained control of Austria and Czechoslovakia, alarming other European leaders. He assured them that the invasions would stop and, shortly thereafter, invaded Poland. In the play, some characters want to keep an independent Austria, while others welcome Nazi Germany, and the swastika is prominently displayed after German annexation.
• The Sound of Music national tour page offers some super-fun videos showing how the lyrics of some favorite songs evolved during the writing process. This is a great way to follow the artistic process and show kids that there's plenty of effort and mistakes along the way.

 Questions to spark discussion with kids and teens after the show:

• What made the musical different from the movie? Are there parts of the story that are better suited to the live setting or the movie setting?
• The nuns talk about Maria as if they find her both charming and annoying... have you seen a similar dynamic with teachers and students?
• What are some of your favorite things? What do you do to make yourself feel better?
• At the party, Brigitta tells Maria that she's in love. Do you think kids notice things that adults don't? Do you know someone who's particularly observant, like Brigitta?
• Why did Maria run away from the von Trapp Villa? Why did she go back?
• Can you think of a time when you faced a fear?
• Why did Captain von Trapp and Elsa Schraeder break up?
• What do you think about Max Detweiler and Elsa Schrader's reaction to the Anschluss?
• Franz, the butler, and Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper, have political opinions, too. Could you tell what they are? How?
• In the story, Edelweiss is supposed to be an Austrian folk song. Why do you think Captain von Trapp chose to sing it at the festival?
• Are there examples of foreshadowing that you recognize now that you've seen the whole show (two examples include Maria exclaiming that she could never get lost in the mountains, a new postulant arriving in a dress that she displays for the audience before Maria appears in it later)?
• What did you think about all of the kids? Did you have a favorite character among the siblings? 
• Should we get a whistle to call each other? If not, what would be the best sound to bring family members running? Popcorn popping, a video game theme song?

Take your family to see The Sound of Music, and they may just realize that going to the theater is (forgive me) one of their favorite things.

The Sound of Music's national tour is playing at Proctors, Schenectady, through March 22, 2026, then continuing to several other KidsOutAndAbout regions including Philadelphia, Atlanta, LA, Denver, Dallas, Houston, and more.

For schedule and ticket information, visit soundofmusicontour.com.

© 2026 Katie Beltramo.
Katie Beltramo, a mom of two, is editor of Kids Out and About. She also blogs at Capital District Fun.

Photos by Jeremy Daniel.