LAST WEEKEND MARKED THE OPENING OF a power-packed production of “The Sound of Music” at Contra Costa Civic Theatre in El Cerrito. What a delightful surprise, to find so many exceptional vocalists in one place at an all-volunteer community theater.

But there is a problem with having so much talent together on one stage — it’s harder for the lead to shine brightly amid such a brilliant lineup.

Sarah Sloan plays Maria, the exuberant young novice nun who “waltzes on her way to Mass and whistles on the stair.” Sloan displays the technical skill of a professional vocalist, but she lacks the gaiety and enthusiasm of a character who can hardly keep from singing for joy in her every step. Especially set against clear and vivacious-sounding convent cohorts like Chloë Angst (Sister Margaretta) and Marie Plette (Mother Abbess), who startled the audience with their exceptional tones on opening night last Friday, Sloan doesn’t quite command the iconic leading role.

When the Reverend Mother receives a request from a local naval captain (Mark Manske as Captain Von Trapp) for a governess to help manage his seven children, she immediately thinks of Maria, who has been having trouble adhering to the strict discipline of life at the convent. She tells Maria that she must spend some time outside the abbey before she can arrive at the kind of personal conviction required for cloistered life.

Maria is timid at the prospect, but once there she finds a natural, happy rapport with the captain’s children. She becomes especially captivated when she discovers that they have had little exposure to music in their lives since their mother passed away some years before.

With this sense of renewed purpose in her life, feeling uniquely equipped to brighten the lives of the seven motherless children, Maria adapts quickly to life in the Von Trapp household. The children and their father become attached to her as well — so much so, in fact, that it disrupts the plans of a certain Frau Schraeder (beautifully played by Maggie Tenenbaum), who has romantic designs on the captain.

I must admit, I brought a bit of prejudice to the performance, having a special fondness for the movie version of the play. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote additional songs for the film, and I missed one in particular that was not written into the stage play. I was holding my breath waiting for that romantic scene in which Maria and the captain profess their love for each other: “There you are, standing there loving me, whether or not you should / Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.”

As it turns out, the song would have been particularly out of place in Friday’s production anyway, since there was no discernible spark between the two players on the stage. This was most strikingly apparent in their first moment of physical contact, in which the captain takes over a dance lesson to show Maria how it’s done. While Manske performed with apparent pleasure, Sloan seemed to be watching some unseen clock, eager to reach the end of the number.

The children all perform charmingly, from teen-age Liesl (Grace Lorenzana) all the way down to little Gretl (Charlotte Curtin). They are focused and alert, fully engaged in the action at hand and attuned to the players around them. Fortunately, Sloan also seemed to brighten by the second act Friday, allowing for a satisfying finish.

Choreography by Rick Wallace enhances the production beautifully, as does polished costuming by Lisa Danz.

I urge you to see this remarkable gathering of talent in nearby El Cerrito before the show closes Sunday, July 19. It’s just about a 20-minute drive from Benicia. Don’t miss it!

If You Go
“The Sound of Music” continues at the Contra Costa Civic Theatre, 951 Pomona Ave. at Moeser Lane, El Cerrito, through July 19. Tickets are $15 to $29 and are available by calling the box office at 925-524-9012 or online at ccct.org.