The hills are revived

The songs, the story and the characters have long ago become ingrained in American culture. Even the words have become virtual catchphrases:

“ The hills are alive.

“ Raindrops on roses.

“ Sixteen, going on seventeen.

“ How do you solve a problem like Maria?

There’s no mystery about why the Spokane Civic Theatre is reviving this 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. It is, in the minds of many, the most beloved American musical of all time.

And for the Civic, it’s high time, once again, for the hills to come alive.

“It’s been 20 years since the Civic has done this show,” said director Yvonne A.K. Johnson. “There’s a whole generation of kids who have never seen it performed live here.”

Johnson directs a cast of 38, including Tami Knoell as Maria, the spunky novice, and Kent Kimball as Capt. Von Trapp. The Von Trapp children will be played by Jessi Little, Hunter Klaue, Kate Cubberly, Bob Stephens, Meghan Sias, Micaela Kostecka and Megan Dyer.

Johnson said 120 children showed up to audition for these seven roles, making the casting choices even more difficult.

The production values have been scaled up to match the show’s status.

“The audience has an expectation level of what this show looks like, feels like and sounds like,” said Johnson. “I hope we meet those expectations. Peter (Hardie) has outdone himself on the set. He has created an entire villa terrace.”

The music, directed by Gary Laing and Carolyn Jess, will be performed by two pianos, bass and drums. They’ll accompany a list of songs almost unmatched in musical theater for familiarity: “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Every Mountain,” “Edelweiss,” “The Lonely Goatherd,” and “Do-Re-Mi.”

So it comes as a surprise to learn that the show received a lukewarm reception when it first opened on Nov. 16, 1959.

Of the seven major New York critics, three loved it, three thought it was OK and one – Walter Kerr, a New York legend – couldn’t stand it. He called it “too sweet for words.”

“The taste of vanilla overwhelms the solid chocolate,” wrote Kerr the next morning.

However, the popular feelings for this incredibly tuneful musical were better summed up by Richard Watts, Jr., who said it was “warm-hearted and unashamedly sentimental” and that it had a “strangely gentle charm that is wonderfully endearing.”

The show, featuring Mary Martin as Maria, was an instant hit and ran for 1,443 performances, until the middle of 1963. Then came the 1965 movie version starring Julie Andrews, which won the Best Picture Oscar and was one of the most popular films of the entire decade.

“The Sound of Music” has since become a staple of regional and community theaters. According to Johnson, many theaters do it every five to 10 years.

So in “Sound of Music” terms, 20 years is a long, long time.