Review: The Sound of Music’s Anti-Authoritarianism

The Kennedy Center hosted director Jack O’Brien’s production of The Sound of Music from September to October. O’Brien’s rendition left little to criticize: stunning sets, apt casting, and exquisite vocal performances. Cayleigh Capaldi’s high notes could have fractured the glass chandelier. The 65-year-old musical’s depiction of an us-vs.-them mentality emerging around the Anschluss was particularly poignant in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the Manichean responses to it. The musical’s anti-authoritarian message was unchanged by President Donald Trump’s recent ascension to chairmanship of the center.

The exclusion of “I Have Confidence” and the deviation from the original lyrics of “Something Good” and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen (Reprise)” are the only areas where this production could be improved. There’s nothing wrong with recognizing our capacity for wickedness or the mutual sense of ownership that characterizes marriage.