Photos: 'The Sound of Music' Comes to CCBC Essex

The Sound of Music will be performed at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex, at 1 p.m. on weekends through May 22, in the J Building Lecture Hall.

Tickets are $10 general admission and available from the CCBC Box Office at (443) 840-ARTS (2787)

Take your mom, grandmom, wife and kids to this performance by the Children's Playhouse of Maryland. There will also be a special 4 p.m. show on Sunday, May 15 which will include student sign language interpreter interns from the CCBC Interpreter Preparation Program.

Anna Holmes of Bel Air appears in the lead role of Maria, the young woman preparing to enter an Austrian convent who instead becomes the governess of the children of with Captain von Trappe played by Thomas Gardner of Joppa.

The von Trappe children are played by Allison Comotto and Maia Vong of Towson, Brady Widener of Cockeysville, Victoria Caldwell of Joppa, Gino Cardoni of Essex, Rhiannon Owen of Nottingham and Olivia Aubele of Perry Hall.

Liz Boyer Hunnicutt directs and Julie Parrish is musical director. Popular favorites from this play include the title songs "The Sound of Music," "Edelweiss," "My Favorite Things," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and "Do-Re-Mi."

This Children's Playhouse of Maryland production features more than 30 student actors from the Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Harford County area. Featured players include Nicole Smith of Timonium (Mother Abbess), James Ruth of Dundalk (Max), Katie Seibert of Rosedale (Elsa), Josh Schoff of Dundalk (Rolf), Valerie Stine of Nottingham (Frau Schmidt), Peter Pferdeort of Sparrows Point (Franz), Patricia Rezac of Glen Arm (Sr. Margaretta), Ana Pieszala of Timonium (Sr. Sophia) and Cyerah Zoeller of Parkville (Sr. Berthe).

The ensemble includes: Nichole Arrison of Bel Air; Sophia Thrappas, Annette Thrappas and Abby Cossaboon of Kingsville; Alicia Basye-Featherston of Timonium; Juliana Adetola of Owings Mills; Emily Jester of Perry Hall; Caroline Halligan, Mariellen Kemp and Marie Wetherington of Towson; Zoe Feldman and Zach Miller of Baltimore (Hamilton); Hannah Long of Middle River; Amanda Ellifritz of Essex; Katelyn Zacharko of Catonsville; Kristen Kreiner and Alexis Rae of Nottingham;  Joey Bird of Phoenix, and Johnathon O’Neal of Cockeysville.

The original 1959 stage production of "The Sound of Music," based on the memoirs of Maria von Trappe, featured music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, with the book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The 1965 movie starring Julie Andrews as Maria won five Oscars.

Set in Austria just before the onset of World War II, the plot centers on a spirited young religious postulant, Maria, who is considering taking her vows to become a nun. She is sent away from the abbey to serve as governess for the family of Captain von Trappe, a widower with seven children. he true story follows her relationship with the von Trappe children and her dawning love and marriage to the Captain.

The play ends with a daring escape from the Nazi occupation of Austria across the Alps.