The scope of ‘Music’

‘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.”

The size of the theater doesn’t allow for the luxuries of Robert Wise’s Oscar-winning film adaptation of “The Sound of Music,” with its sprawling Austrian vistas and Cinemascope grandeur. But Renfrew points out that the heart of “The Sound of Music” really comes through in its smaller moments: At its core, this is a simple romance, one that’s complicated by and eventually survives the turbulence of WWII.

“It’s a really good story,” Renfrew said. “Obviously – it’s been around for 50 years.”

The show, based on a true story, concerns a flighty postulant nun named Maria (played in the Modern’s production by Emily Cleveland), who is so consumed by her love of music that she spends much of her time with her head in the clouds. Convinced Maria is a problem she just can’t solve, the Mother Superior advises the young woman to spend some time in the real world before fully committing to the habit.

Maria becomes governess for the seven children of stern, widowed naval commander Georg Von Trapp (J.R. Haynie), and as Maria uses music as a way to connect with the kids, she also begins to fall in love with her employer. All of this is played out against a tumultuous historical backdrop – the von Trapps must flee Austria as Nazi power consumes the country.

“The Sound of Music” is perhaps the most famous collaboration between composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, and it may also boast the most well-known songs of any musical of its era: “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “So Long, Farewell,” “Edelweiss” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” are all numbers that pretty much everyone will be humming on their way into the theater.

A show of this size obviously requires a large cast, and there are 27 actors in the Modern’s production. But Renfrew says that despite all the juggling it requires, working with this group of performers has been a surprisingly breezy experience.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “We’ve actually had more fun than a lot of other casts I’ve directed. Everybody has really connected, and everybody talks about each other really highly.”