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MY FAVORITE THINGS—From left are Madelyn Friedman, Bridget Hunzeker, Katie McTyre, Jake McDermott, Tate Hunzeker, Ginny Cary, Chase Wilson and Lauren Whitton in“The Sound of Music”at High Street Arts Center. Courtesy of Barbara Mazeika

MY FAVORITE THINGS—From left are Madelyn Friedman, Bridget Hunzeker, Katie McTyre, Jake McDermott, Tate Hunzeker, Ginny Cary, Chase Wilson and Lauren Whitton in“The Sound of Music”at High Street Arts Center. Courtesy of Barbara Mazeika

PLAY REVIEW /// ‘The Sound of Music’

The hills of Moorpark are alive once again as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved swan song, “The Sound of Music,” is brought back in a beautifully performed production at High Street Arts Center.

The venerable musical, about the lives of Austria’s Trapp Family Singers in the late 1930s, opened June 3 and an enthusiastic audience left the theater humming tunes like “Do-Re-Mi” and “My Favorite Things.”

“The Sound of Music” marks the directorial debut of Michael Rosenblum, a versatile actor who was anxious to bring joy to Moor- park audiences with the musical but also wished to make a salient point about the show’s political undertones. In his program notes, he points out that when Capt. Georg von Trapp sings the faux Austrian folk song “Edelweiss” in front of Nazi soldiers near the end of the musical, it reminded him of modern-day Ukrainians singing their national songs in the face of Russian invaders.

The success of any “Sound of Music” production depends largely on the effectiveness of the actress who portrays Maria Rainer, the music-loving postulate who becomes governess to a stolid Austrian naval captain’s brood of seven children.

At High Street, Katie McTyre fills the bill as Maria superbly, giving a winning performance that is both infectious and uplifting, melting the hearts of even the most jaded theatergoers.

McTyre makes everyone around her better. Her chemistry with the seven young actors who play the von Trapp children is palpable, especially 6-year-old Ginny Cary as Gretl, the youngest von Trapp. Cary is making her stage debut in the role and looks like she is having the time of her life, hitting her marks solidly and perfectly timing her lines in both dialogue and song.

Arizona transplant Kit Runge plays an older but believable Capt. Von Trapp, possessing a glorious baritone that is on display in his “Edelweiss” solo and also on the lovely and romantic duet “Something Good.”

Old hand R. Shane Bingham does his usual good job as unctuous promoter Max Detwiler, while Nora Morris showcases great acting skill as the sympathetic Mother Abbess.

Lauren Whitton is delightful as the eldest daughter Liesl, while Chase Wilson, sisters Tate and Bridget Hunzeker, Jake McDermott and Madelyn Friedman are equally outstanding as the other children. Bridget Hunzeker is especially good as Brigitta, who can’t help telling the truth, no matter what its consequences.

Barbara Mazeika and Taylor Capozzoli’s magnificent costumes are second only to the cast’s performances in this excellent production, which suffers only from a pallid and spare set design, with virtually no elements of the picturesque Austrian landscape that normally dominate productions of this show.

“The Sound of Music” runs until July 3. For tickets, go online to highstreetartscenter.com.