‘Sound Of Music’ Opens In CdA

Teri Grubss as Mother Abbess and Emily Cleveland as Maria Rainer in The Modern Theater production of “The Sound of Music” in Coeur d’Alene. (Modern Theater photo: Dan Baumer)

‘The Sound of Music” is a big show, not just in terms of its scope but in the emotions it invokes, emotions as grand and sweeping as the rolling hills of Austria. In a season that opened with the epic “Les Miserables,” the Modern Theater Coeur d’Alene seems to be deliberately pushing the limits of its relatively small stage, and its production of “The Sound of Music” continues that trend. “When you try to do such a large production, the challenges are, how do you do scene changes as well as quick changes on the sidelines?” said the show’s director, Andy Renfrew. “You’ve got people are running on either side of the stage. … You end up not only having to choreograph dance numbers onstage but doing choreography on the sidelines”/ Nathan Weinbender , SR. More here .

Question: Emily Cleveland, who plays Maria, is a family friend. But I’ve seen “The Sound of Music” too many times to enjoy it any more. What to do? I’ll probably see it again, just to see Emily perform. Is this musical among your favorites?