The Stivelman Theater buzzed with excited audiences and anxious thespians on the nights of April 24 and 25 as Play Production raised the curtain on Sound of Music for the first time.

Jennifer Hong transformed herself into the idealistic yet flaky Fraulien Maria, a hopeful nun who is forced to become a governess of seven children.

Though the entire cast belted out their musical numbers with vigor and obvious talent, they were overshadowed by the magnificent voice of Courtney Washington (Mother Abbess). She filled the theater with a confident and strong voice.

However, not everything went smoothly. Among several microphone malfunctions was a costume malfunction. The entire audience held its breath as Maggie Kirk (Liesl von Trapp) came on stage with an unzipped dress--apparently caused by a broken zipper.

But, nevertheless, Kirk should be given her due for staying calm and delivering a stellar performance.

Opening nights are notorious for minor mistakes, but these were negligible. The caliber of the performances, costumes, singing and the live orchestra of Arthur Shane brought the story to life.

Meanwhile, the comic relief provided by Jillian Fontaine (the Baroness) and Devon Irete (Max Detweiler) gave the more serious parts of the story a silver lining.

Maria’s cheerfulness was balanced by the serious demeanor of Captain von Trapp, played by Erwin Orellana. Overall, drama delivered another success.