The Plains Are Alive with the Sound of Music

By Dan Hagen

A few minutes into the first act, the Little Theatre’s “The Sound of Music” turns perfect.

It’s the famous “Do-Re-Mi” number sung by the young would-be nun-turned-governess Maria (Leah Berry) and Captain von Trapp’s children (Sam Mulligan, Maddie Keller, Lukas Mills, Syndi Mulligan, Izzy Miller and Piper Countryman).

In a lesser production, those children can be precocious annoyances, too cute by half. But director John Stephens has given his cast a dazzling clockwork charm here, and provided us with one of those live theatre moments when audience and performers are in radiant unison.

This production, which opens today, will be quite the crowd pleaser. Its quality is apparent in both the costumes (I admired the various shades of green in the family’s outfits, designed by J. Malia Andrus) and the set (the von Trapp mansion is a sweeping impression of elegance that converts swiftly into the imposing arches of a convent, thanks to scenic designer Noel Rennerfeldt).

The show is — let’s face it — a warhorse, always in danger of sinking into a pool of its own alpine honey. But the warhorse can still be made to work, and it does the job here.

I don’t envy Berry the task of playing a character as relentlessly good as Maria. Think how difficult it is to make a part like that interesting. Yet Berry can seem desperately earnest without being cloying, and sings us the pantheistic anthem title tune to signal Maria’s transcendent love of life, a force that will redeem a family situation darkened by death and political upheaval.

Berry is supported by an able cast of pros, including Mary Redmon as the housekeeper Frau Schmidt, the bittersweet voice of exposition, and Mike Danovich as impresario Max Detweiller, a stylish cynic with airy charm. I think this is Danovich’s best role this season.

Ann Borders, as the Mother Abbess, is a showstopper. She is convincingly commanding and yet sympathetic in her role, an actress of great poise and ease (even persuading us that she can barely recall the lyrics to “My Favorite Things”).

Her first act curtain number, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” always amuses me a little, because the philosophy of embracing all the experiences life has to offer is not something I expect to be sold by a nun. But sell it Borders does, in a ringing voice that brought pounding applause from the audience.

Finally there’s Andy Lebon as Captain von Trapp. The actor, fresh from two years of playing Jud in the national tour of “Oklahoma,” has an imperious but endearing manner that’s well suited for this role, and a powerful voice. He and Berry are believable as attractive adults in love, something you don’t always get in a musical.

Their love song, “Something Good,” ended with such dramatic force that a small child sitting behind me said, “Is it over now?”

Not yet, kid. Gotta outwit the Nazis first by singing at them.

Incidental intelligence: “The Sound of Music,” with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, runs through July 27 at the Little Theatre.

This production has lighting design by Mark Hueske, sound design by Patrick Burks, stage management by Jeremy J. Phillips, choreography by Amber Mak and musical direction by Kevin Long.

The cast includes Andy Frank, Brady Miller, Colleen Johnson, Emily Rhein, Haley Jane Schafer, Hanah Rose Nardone, Josh Houghton, Megan E. Farley, Niko Pagsisihan and Tim Mason.

The children’s roles are double cast, and the alternate set of children are Zach Smith, Blaine Lehman, A.J. Zaccari, Zoe Bowers, Brace Lynch and Callie Standerfer. For tickets, call The Little Theatre On The Square Box Office at 217-728-7375.