Sweet Music

We know she can carry a tune, but can she carry a show? Thats the question we in the audience were waiting to have answered as we settled down to witness the opening performance of The Sound of Music on Oct. 15 at Torontos Princess of Wales Theatre.

The "she," of course, is Elicia MacKenzie, winner of CBC-TVs contest to pick the lead role in the Canadian revival of Rodgers and Hammersteins beloved musical. MacKenzie, a 23-year-old Vancouverite, out-sung and out-charmed nine other finalists to win the favour of Canadian viewers and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber this past summer. But shining in front of the television cameras for a few minutes at a time is not the same as anchoring a three-hour production that lives or dies on the strengths of its principal character in this case, that irrepressible Austrian songbird, Maria von Trapp. Lets face it: Julie Andrews, star of the eternally popular film version, left a pretty big dirndl to fill.

So, can MacKenzie carry the show? The answer is a qualified "yes."

To judge from the rapturous reception she received, both for her show-stopping numbers and during the curtain call, MacKenzie remains as much an audience favourite on stage as she was on TV. Lloyd Webber and Canadian co-producer David Mirvish both of whom were in the audience can breathe a sigh of relief. The controversial Idol-style casting gimmick, which Lloyd Webber initiated for his hit London version of the musical in 2006, seems to have worked again.

If I have reservations, it has nothing to do with MacKenzies talent. She can belt out those wonderful old Rodgers and Hammerstein songs like a Broadway trouper. She also has the requisite radiant personality. As Maria, the young postulant who leaves her convent to become governess to a widowed naval officers seven children, she lights up the big Princess of Wales stage like an Alpine sunrise. Her scenes with the von Trapp brood are especially delightful. Petite and with her brown hair in a girlish bob, MacKenzie could easily be the kids big sister rather than their governess, and she leads their singing games with a playful exuberance just this side of chaos. Their first two numbers together, Do-Re-Mi and The Lonely Goatherd (dizzyingly choreographed by Arlene Phillips) leave you exhilarated.

When it comes time for Maria to develop from a high-spirited girl to a young woman in love, however, MacKenzie is less successful. It doesnt help that theres no real chemistry between her and Capt. von Trapp, played here by Broadway vet Burke Moses. The actor, who has the classic rugged handsomeness of a Cary Grant or Glenn Ford, looks too old to be this Marias heartthrob (unless she has a father fixation). On top of that, he plays the role with an odd sense of detachment neither he nor MacKenzie adequately communicates the feeling of being transformed by love. In MacKenzies case, well cut her some slack. The one thing she didnt bring to this show is extensive acting experience no doubt her performance will grow over the course of the run.

And it could be a long one. While this Sound of Music isnt perfect, its certainly spectacular. Director Jeremy Sams and his creative team have replicated their London staging, with grand decor by designer Robert Jones that bids to compete with the widescreen splendour of the motion picture right down to a clever variation on the films famous opening aerial shot.

The high production quality is matched by some excellent supporting performances. Quebec opera singer Noella Huet, as the kindly Mother Abbess who sets Maria on the right path, combines maternal warmth and a glorious mezzo voice that rings out with clarion purity on Climb Evry Mountain. Stratford Festival stalwart Keith Dinicol is a lively asset as Max Detweiler, the lovable but self-serving impresario who turns the family into a professional singing troupe. Newcomer Megan Nuttall is winning as a gawky teenage Liesl, the captains oldest child, who finds a confidante in Maria. The other von Trapp moppets, played by a gaggle of local children, are reliably precocious and adorable. (Although they did remind me of a line in film critic Pauline Kaels infamous 1965 review: "Wasnt there perhaps one little von Trapp who didnt want to sing his head off?")

The Sound of Music has become such a symbol of sweetness and light that its easy to forget that like other works in the Rodgers and Hammerstein canon (South Pacific, Carousel), it has a sombre side. The story is set before and during the Anschluss of 1938, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria, which prompts the resolutely anti-fascist captain to escape to Switzerland with Maria and their kids. Sams emphasizes that crisis here. The oft-forgotten No Way to Stop It, an ode to solipsism sung by Max and the captains ex-fiance (Blythe Wilson) in an effort to convince von Trapp to change his mind, has become a pivotal number in the second act.

Still, nobody goes to The Sound of Music expecting high drama. Its the great entry-level musical for children and the uninitiated, as packed with catchy tunes (My Favourite Things, Maria, Edelweiss, the title song) as that "crisp apple strudel" is with apples. With this multimillion-dollar production, its also a very splashy entree for MacKenzie, launching her on what looks to be a promising career.

The Sound of Music is at Torontos Princess of Wales Theatre for an unlimited run.

Martin Morrow writes about the arts for CBCNews.ca.