Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"... You know a production of this particular show is working when a thousand people break out into relieved applause when Maria comes back to send Elsa packing. (I'm not sure I've ever seen that before and I thought I'd seen every “Sound of Music” permutation this side of the Alps). And you know the show is on track when it's the kids whose curtain-call appearance gets the biggest reaction. Rockwell is at her best with children — the “Do-Re-Mi” here is a bring-the-house-down revelation, and that's not a sentence I ever thought I'd write. And “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” (performed by the sultry Katie Huff and the deliciously buttoned-down Brandon Springman) has not a coy or cutesy bone in its body, instead offering a sensual nod to the dream ballet of “Carousel” or the “Somewhere” of “West Side Story.”"
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"... To see just how it can be done head off to the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre, where director-choreographer Rachel Rockwell has worked her latestmiracle. And itis by no measure a small one. After all, what can possibly be done to reinvent such songs as “Do-Re-Mi,” “The Lonely Goatherd,” “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” or even the anthemic “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” and to endow them with charm, while at the same time removing every hint of saccharine or schmaltz? How do you find the hidden edginess in every line of dialogue and every well-known lyric in this show?"
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Rogers & Hammerstein's highly fictionalized 1959 musical account of the Trapp Family Singers is often produced, but Rachel Rockwell's spirited, exceptionally well-cast and directed revival makes it feel brand new."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"... Oakbrook’s hills are alive with the sounds of excited theatregoers, thanks to Rachel Rockwell’s extraordinary production of this beloved classic. As a film, "The Sound of Music" earned the 1965 Oscar for Best Picture and is now a televised family favorite. The show has become a staple of educational and regional theatres everywhere. Such overexposure, coupled with criticism that the musical is too saccharine, has sent sophisticated audiences into hiding at the thought of another production. But Rockwell’s creation is nothing short of perfection."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... As freshly bedecked with comic moments as it is, this merry waltz never veers far from dread; the final scenes are as tense and beautifully staged as a film noir. No novelty act, the Von Trapp family stand framed against the Alps before the final curtain, a tableau of resistance with unforgettable power."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...This is a major production of a classic show that begs to be seen. It is faithful to the original complete with two songs cut from the 1965 film. Rediscover the fabulous score and witty lyrics by the great Rodgers & Hammerstein team to witness a truly heartwarming show that restores your faith in humanity. This is a flawless production. Rachel Rockwell once again shows her directing chops."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...Catherine Lord, Ann McMann, Leisa Mather and the exquisite nun chorale are simply heavenly. And proving once again that there are no small roles, only great actors, are the incomparable John Reeger and Paula Scrofano, as distinguished a pair of domestics as Equity wages could ever buy. Rockwell's choreographic contributions may not rival "42nd Street" as the best dance show of the year, but they are all charming and creative. Bravos to Music Director Roberta Duchak for the immaculately clear vocal diction, and to the lush sounds of the orchestra, conducted impeccably by Ben Johnson. I am already thinking of buying a ticket to see this amazing production again, if there are even tickets available that is. I heartily recommend that my readers do likewise. Music, kids, nuns, Nazi's, Schnitzel with noodles...what's not to love?"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... There are theater audiences who constantly ask why our playhouses continue to bring back old musicals, some as many as fifty years old instead of finding new and different productions for their stages. The answer is loud and clear as Drury Lane Oakbrook brings the award winning “The Sound of Music” to its stage for the holiday season. This Richard Rodgers(music) and Oscar Hammerstein II ( lyrics) classic musical with a book written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by the “The Story Of The Trapp Family Singers” has been making the rounds for years and years ( since 1959) and yet under the careful eye of director/Choreographer Rachel Rockwell, this old love story has new life breathed into it."
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...In two hours and forty minutes Rachel Rockwell’s faithful and often impassioned revival (which borrows two songs from the celebrated film version) charms and convinces with every well-shaped scene. (Kevin Depinet’s rolling set pieces prove remarkably pictorial as needed.) A country may be desecrated but a family is renewed."