Act I
1. As Act I opens, the theater is dark, and we hear the bells of Nonnberg Abbey chiming. As the lights come up, we begin to see the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey, chanting "Dixit Dominus." The singing changes to "Alleluia." Then the nuns wonder "where is Maria?"
2. A mountain near Nonnberg Abbey. Maria, a postulant at the Abbey, has been lounging about, very unpostulant-like. She sits up, looks around, and starts to sing, "The hills are alive with the sound of music, with songs they have sung for a thousand years...."
3. "...The hills fill my heart with the sound of music; my heart wants to sing every song it hears..."
4. "...I go to the hills when my heart is lonely, I know I will hear what I've heard before. My heart will be blessed with the sound of music, and I'll sing once more." It is getting late, and dark, and Maria returns to the abbey.
5. The Mother Abbess summons Maria to her office. Maria apologizes for being late, after getting her permission to leave and go to the mountain. They talk about the song Maria had been singing in the garden a few days earlier." Maria sings "My Favorite Things," joined later by the Mother Abbess. The Mother Abbess tells Maria that it is God's will that Maria should leave the abbey to be a governess for Captain VonTrapp's seven children.
6. Captain VonTrapp advises his housekeeper, Frau Schmidt, and butler, Franz, that he will be going to Vienna for about a month, and will return with two guests, Elsa Schraeder and Max Detweiler. Maria arrives to begin her duties as governess, and Franz shows her in. She is astonished by the opulence of the Captain's home. The Captaiin begins to explain what her duties will be.
7. The Captain disparages Maria's dress, which, she explains, she inherited from the most recent postulant becaus the poor didn't want it. He tells her he will order material so she can make some new, acceptable dresses for herself. The Captain tells Maria that his children are to spend the summer studying and marching. "The first rule in this house is discipline."
8. The Captain summons his children by blowing a silver bo's'un's whistle. The children step forward one-by-one to state their names. The Captain then summons Frau Schmidt and Franz in the same way. The Captain asks Maria to try the whistle, to see how well she listened when he gave each child's signal.
9. Maria tells the Captain she won't use the whistle and could never answer to one. As the Captain starts to leave, Maria blows a long blast on the whistle and asks how she should address him. When he tells her, "Captain," she says "Thank you, Captain. I forgot to return the whistle, Captain. I won't need it, Captain."
10. After the Captain leaves the room, Maria and the children get better acquainted. They ask what's in the guitar case. She tells them that it is for when they all sing together. When the children tell her that they don't know how to sing and don't know any songs. She begins to teach them with the song "Do-Re-Mi."
11. Maria teaches the children the musical scale: do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do. Brigitta says those sounds don't mean anything, and Maria explains that you add one word for each note. Maria and the children sing "Do-Re-Mi."
12. Maria and the children sing "Do-Re-Mi."
13. "Do-Re-Mi."
15. Later, in Maria's bedroom, while she is saying her prayers, Liesl climbs through the window, her dress wet and smudged from the rain. Maria tells her to go change into something dry and come back. When it thunders, the other children run in one by one.
16. Marta asks why it thunders, and Maria explains that the lightning says something to the thunder and the thunder answers back. Maria says if they sing loud enough, maybe they won't hear the thunder, and she starts to sing "The Lonely Goatherd."
17. Maria and the Children singing "The Lonely Goatherd."
18. Maria and the Children singing "The Lonely Goatherd."
19. The Captain returns with his guests. The children enter from the garden, yodeling and playing leapfrog. The Captain blows his whistle, and the children line up, and he orders them to go change their clothes. The Captain and Maria exchange harsh words about how he treats his children, and he orders her to return to the abbey. Maria apologizes for what she said.
20. Just then, the children begin to sing offstage. The Captain asks who is singing. Maria tells him that it is the children, and says that she taught the children a song to sing for Elsa, Frau Schraeder. Elsa enters, then the children follow, singing "The Sound of Music." At Maria's prompt, Gretl, the youngest, gives a white flower to Elsa.
21. The Captain, moved, joins the children in singing "The Sound of Music." The children show Elsa the gardens. Maria tells the Captain how much his children want to know him. The Captain apologizes to Maria and asks her to stay. He throws the whistle away. Maria is ecstatic at the progress that was made.
22. Later, there is a lavish party honoring Frau Schraeder. The orchestra plays and couples dance. The guests move out to the terrace to dance, and Maria and Friedrich come in from outside. Friedrich asks Maria to teach him how to dance the Laendler, an Austrian folk dance.
23. The Captain enters and watches for a moment while Maria and Friedrich dance. The Captain tells Friedrich that he's not doing it right, and he cuts in. The Captain and Maria Dance the Laendler.
24. The Captain and Maria continue to dance until, at one point in the dance, their faces are close together. This closeness evokes feelings of romance. Maria becomes self-conscious and breaks off the dance. When Brigitta says that Maria blushed when she was dancing, Maria decides to return to the abbey.
25. Maria, having returned to the abbey, is summoned to the Mother Abbess's office. The Mother abbess asks why Maria was sent back. Maria tells her that they didn't send her back; she left without saying goodbye. After asking some pointed questions, the Mother Abbess learns that Maria is in love with the Captain. The Mother Abbess sends Maria back, to learn how God wants her to spend her love.The Mother Abbess sings "Climb Every Mountain."
Intermission
Act II
Maria returns.
27. Maria and the children sing "My Favorite Things." Liesl tells Maria that the Captain and Elsa are to be married. The Captain comes in to find Maria. She says she will stay until he finds a new governess. She goes inside and Elsa, Max, and the Captain discuss the impending German invasion and sing "No Way to Stop It." Because she and the Captain disagree how to deal with the Nazis, Elsa breaks the engagement, and leaves.
28. Maria enters as Elsa is leaving, and the Captain explains that they couldn't see eye to eye. The Captains asks Maria why she came back, and Maria explains that she came back to look for her life. They acknowledge that they love each other.
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