The Sound of Music: Prescott is Singing

The Hills surrounding Prescott are alive with The Sound of Music. A beautiful production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music opened Friday night at Yavapai College’s Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center. Performances are running April 17 – 26, 2026 and brings with it beautiful sets with a high and spiraling Abbey that gently pulls the audience into the magic of this timeless musical.

First presented on Broadway in 1959, The Sound of Music starred Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel in the leads. The musical is set in 1938 Austria and tells the story of Maria who unsure if she should become a nun, becomes the governess to seven children of the widowed Captain von Trapp, who is opposed to the Nazi takeover of his beautiful Austria. Captain von Trapp falls in love with Maria, marries her and eventually flees Austria before he must fulfil his orders and accept a commission in the German Navy.

The original Broadway production won five Tony Awards, which included Best Musical, and has been a beloved stage production performed throughout the world, in addition to the 1965 motion picture starring Julie Andews and Christopher Plummer. The film became the highest grossing film of 1965 and by 1966 surpassed Gone with the Wind, holding this distinction for five years (Britannica, 2026).

On This Day in History — 1980

Lisa Middelhauve, German singer-songwriter vocalist and pianist (born 1980) 🔗

With beautiful songs known the world over, Do-Re-Mi, My Favorite Things, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, and of course the wonderful The Sound of Music, Prescott residents can enjoy losing themselves for an enchanting night at the theater.

Yavapai Performance Hall celebrated the 60^th anniversary of the Sound of Music with this lavish production with Director Ben Naasz making his mainstream directorial debut as well as designing this production for the YC main stage. Mr. Naasz is an Associate Professor of Performing Arts at Yavapai College. His scenic design for the Abbey with its 20-foot-stained glass windows transformed through beautiful lighting into the von Trapp estate.

On opening night, the audience was able to enjoy the lovely Amanda Moe as Maria who showcased both charm and vocal strength opposite JC Lawler as Captain von Trapp. Susan Selstad-Martinez gave a moving performance as Mother Abbess, and Ruby Tomasovitch as Liesl von Trapp, performed “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” while riding a bicycle, alongside Mateo Pena as Rolf Gruber.

One particularly memorable scene features Maria saying her nightly prayers as rain pours outside her window. Liesl, returning from her rendezvous with Rolf, sneaks in and is met by Maria, soon joined by the other children. Together, they perform “The Lonely Goatherd,” accompanied by delightful marionette-style projections that nearly steal the show. Absolutely charming!

Yavapai College’s Performing Arts Center’s production of The Sound of Music runs April 17-26, 2026. Green Cast performances are on April 19, 22 and 24, and the Blue Cast April 23, 25 and 26. If you enjoy theater and want a refreshing evening of a beautiful musical, be sure to take part in a performance of The Sound of Music.