Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...You hardly need me to point out the brilliance of this material, which plays somewhere in Chicagoland every year or so and rarely disappoints, either at the box office or the tear ducts. Director Nick Bowling’s new production is certainly no exception."
Daily Herald
- Recommended
"...Bowling's production has warmth and charm. The young actors are endearing, but not overly precocious. At 16, Krausen is the same age as her character Liesl, the eldest von Trapp sibling who's infatuated with telegram messenger Rolf, played by 2021 Northwestern University graduate Emmet Smith. The duo bring an awkward eagerness to their "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" duet that makes the number all the more sweet."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...From top to bottom, from eldest to first-grader Reese Bella, the voices are stunning. Whether standards such as "My Favorite Things" or the lesser-known "How Can Love Survive," the songs enchant and tell the story of people finding new life in changed circumstances."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...I was thoroughly impressed with this performance of The Sound of Music. And Kudos to Marriott Theatre for dedicating the opening night performance to acclaimed Chicago performer Hollis Resnik. Resnik, who studied piano, took voice lessons, and performed with the Cleveland Symphony Children's Choir at a young age, is a Chicago theater legend. Her theater performances include (Sunset Boulevard, Les Miserables, Man of La Mancha, and Evita), who tragically died at the age of 66 from heart failure."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...The hills are alive with "The Sound of Music", as Lincolnshire's Marriott Theatre brings a new and fresh look to an old classic. It seems all of the regional subscription theaters are doing at least one classic to their stages aking the return to theater (post-Covid) fun. As I have said over and over, even if you have seen a musical before, seeing it on a different stage, with a different director's view and a different cast, can change the entire look and feel of the show. Over the past years, we have watched musicals change many times under the direction of Nick Bowling. His eye sees the musical in a different light than many previous directors and I love what he has done to bring "The Sound of Music" to Marriott's in-the-round theater."
WTTW
- Highly Recommended
"...Some people understandably roll their eyes at the very thought of seeing the show again. But here is a great surprise: the production that opened Wednesday night at the Marriott Theatre will easily inspire love for the show. It is just that good. It featured wonderfully fresh direction of Nick Bowling, a cast that brings his vision of the show to life in the most natural, wholly refreshing ways."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...This warmly-directed production of a musical that most audiences will be familiar with is infused with spectacle and wonder. An excellent first musical experience for young audiences, this “Sound of Music” will impress theatre patrons with its abundance of musical and dramatic talent, creating a feeling of family, honesty and hope. Audiences should climb every mountain standing in their way to see this production of a true American classic. There has never been another production like it."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Marriott's ensemble, as always, is consummate. Heidi Kettenring and Rob Lindley really work as the two on-the-fence Nazis who provide a bit of drama and plot to this story that's really about all those songs. And those songs... Again, the entire cast can sing. And they're made all the better by conductor Patti Garwood's orchestra. And, if you want to realize just what songs they are, what a show this is, and what a wonderful production that The Marriott Theatre is presenting of The Sound of Music, find out for yourself, now through June 5 in Lincolnshire."
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Highly Recommended
"...Insightfully directed by Nick Bowling with artistic lead Peter Marston Sullivan, set design by Collette Pollard, charming choreography by William Carlos Angula, period costume design by Sally Dolembo, lighting design by Jesse Klug, and music led by Patti Garwood, the production team also worked its "perfect" magic."
Loop North News
- Highly Recommended
"...But it's the adorable von Trapp children who win your heart, played by Campbell Krausen, Brody Tyner, Milla Liss, Archer Geye, Omi Lichtenstein, Olivia O'Sullivan, and Reese Bella. They are lively, yet sad and hopeful, with their new governess who makes them playclothes out of curtains - created by costume designer Sally Dolembo - and teaches them to sing."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than to enjoy a fantastic production of The Sound of Music, and this is exactly what The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire provided to myself and the rest of the delighted and grateful audience this past week. I have been impressed with every production I've seen at The Marriott Theatre, especially with its unique and intimate in-the-round configuration, and this was no exception. The production was stellar in every respect and the vibe throughout the evening was pure musical joy."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"..."The Sound of Music" is, above all, a coming-of-age story, something that can be difficult to remember when its original leading lady was forty-five, or when its film star had been already cinematically established as the perfect-in-every-way nanny. Making her Marriott debut, Addie Morales' Maria is young, vibrant and naive. She is almost another kid in the house as indeed, was true of the real Maria. And Morales can sing. Erik Hellman-also making his Marriott debut as Captain von Trapp-is a more gentle, restrained Captain, not as stern as usually performed. This is a person who is in mourning over his late wife and is searching for meaning via going through the motions."
