Madison Deadman as Leisl and Sebastian Gerstner as Rolf in The Encore's production of "The Sound of Music."

Here’s a sentence I’ve never uttered before: the nuns nailed it.

But I have a reason to say it now, since Encore Theatre’s two and a half hour production of “The Sound of Music” - with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein - begins with a flock of nuns singing “Preludium,” and opening night’s rendition was so gorgeously lush that it gave me goose-bumps.

In that moment, I thought, “Wow, this bodes well.” But as we next saw Maria (Leslie Henstock) singing the show’s majestic title song in, well, the same abbey where the nuns had just been singing, accompanied only by a piano (the show's orchestra consists of two pianists), the production’s limitations felt suddenly exposed.

Of course, any stage production of “Music” is inevitably haunted by the 1965 Oscar-winning film adaptation starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The movie became such an enduring cultural touchstone that it’s exceedingly hard to knock its images, and even the actors’ line delivery, out of your head while watching the story of the VonTrapp family play out on a stage.

But play out at Encore it does, as high-spirited novitiate Maria is sent by Mother Abbess (Jody Doktor) to be a governess for a widower’s seven children in 1930s Austria. Maria and the militaristic Captain (Paul Kerr) initially clash; but when she teaches the children to sing, thus bringing music back into the house, the two fall in love. And while the Germans press the Captain into service, he and Maria scramble to find a way to get the family out of Austria.

Henstock (a theater veteran and U-M musical theater grad) is likable and has a marvelous voice, and Kerr does “gruff” well; but the Captain’s role is a tough one. He's a man with a hard exterior who, relatively quickly, has his walls torn down, and Kerr’s take on the Captain’s softer side feels less convincing. (Perhaps it’s the movie ghost of Plummer rearing its head, but I thought the buttoned-up Captain would likely become awkward, or at the very least be surprised by his growing feelings for Maria.)

The bulk of my interest instead lay in the two characters more flawed and morally dubious than Georg and Maria: unabashedly self-interested houseguest Max Detweiller (Steve DeBruyne) and the beautiful-but-shallow baroness Elsa Schraeder (Elizabeth Jaffe). DeBruyne and Jaffe inject considerable personality and humor into Encore’s production, so that although the pair must perform two of the three forgettable songs that were justifiably cut from the film - “How Can Love Survive” and “No Way to Stop It” (Maria and Georg’s “An Ordinary Couple” being the third) - they keep the audience wholly engaged by way of their strong vocals and charisma.

Finally, with the exception of a couple of minor opening night slip-ups, the young performers who play the VonTrapp children did good work, and Sebastian Gerstner and Madison Deadman, as young lovers Rolf and Liesl, offered a charming take on “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.”

Toni Auletti provides "Music" with a set that is simple and relatively versatile, though the title number felt trapped by scenery, and some opening night scene changes were clunky; and Colleen E. Meyer’s costumes created just the right effect without being fussy.

Having only piano accompaniment worked the same way for a few tunes in "Music"'s score, which ended up feeling scaled-down and lovely; others, however, simply cried out for a larger orchestra.

Nonetheless, director Barbara Cullen choreographs and guides the show with a sure hand, and makes a point of emphasizing the story's darker, war-time tones. Those who already love “Music” will likely leave Encore satisfied. Not knocked out, perhaps, but satisfied.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.