With Pieter Toerien Productions and Cape Town Opera presenting a South African revival of  The Sound of Music and that revival having its first performances today in Johannesburg, where it will run for the next month or so following its debut season in Cape Town, I thought it might be more than just a little fabulous to take a look at some of the enchanting musical theatre moments in this classic Broadway musical. With a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and a score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, The Sound of Music first opened on Broadway in 1959, after which it was adapted into a smash hit film in 1965. Among the many productions around the world since the show’s first bow are South Africa’s two or more major productions of the show in each of the past six decades – has there ever been a perennial favourite as beloved as this musical? (For the real trivia buffs, there was even a South African burlesque of the musical titled Almost the Sound of Music, which was written by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder in the 1990s!)

Attempting to narrow down the songs and scenes that make this musical a timeless treasure is like choosing a favourite von Trapp child – an impossible task, to say the least. How can one leave out Maria’s sassy return of Captain Von Trapp’s whistle in their first scene together, Liesl and Rolf’s first kiss in “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” or the appearances of the Von Trapp villa’s salty household staff? And let’s not forget Maria’s divine shade when she promises to pray for the Baroness in response to the latter’s delight upon hearing that the former is to become a nun. These are just the warm-up notes in our “Do-Re-Mi” of heartwarming scenes. So, get dolled up in your best curtain dress and let’s work our way through some musical gems, each deserving a standing ovation of their own.

7. “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?”

There’s a meme out there in cyberspace that is all about the irony of how the nuns in The Sound of Music complain about Maria singing in the abbey while they are singing in the abbey. It’s funny, I suppose, in the way that makes you roll your eyes, because what it actually shows is a lack of understanding of how musicals work. Sometimes, the characters in musicals sing diegetic songs, songs that exist in the world of the musical as songs. The Sound of Music, has plenty of songs like this, including “My Favourite Things” and “The Lonely Goatherd” – but “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” isn’t one of them. The real irony here, I guess, is that even though the actors are singing this song, the nuns are not. The nuns are dialoguing through song in the heightened fashion of almost all musical theatre pieces. OK – school’s out; so why does this song make the list? The meme I mentioned helps to showcase just how well Rodgers and Hammerstein knew their craft, and how they were able to manipulate musical theatre conventions to make theatrical magic. In the title song, for example, Maria switches from her thoughts to diegetic singing mid-song without missing a beat. What masterful artists these two men were!

6. “Gaudeamus Domino“

One thing that everyone expects from this is glorious music – rightly so given the title! – and there is nothing more glorious in this score than “Gaudeamus Domino.” This triumphant vocal composition forms a part of the second-act wedding sequence. If you’ve only seen the movie, this is one part of the score that will be new to you on stage, as it was cut from the film. In the stage show, it’s a gorgeous contrast (along with the joyful “Confitemini Domino”) to the other canticles in the score, such as the “Preludium,” which represent the structure and discipline of life at Nonnberg Abbey. Here we see the nuns cut loose, so to speak, and what a joyful noise they make.

5. “Do-Re-Mi”

This song is iconic in both its stage and film iterations. On stage, it appears a little earlier in the proceedings and takes place in a formal sitting room of the Von Trapp family’s villa. Everything is neat as a pin and we’ve just seen the Captain corral his offspring like a delinquent crew of sailors. Once he is gone, under Maria’s tutelage, they tentatively relax as they learn to sing. The song builds and builds until, in the libretto, a stage direction reads, ‘led by Maria, all march around the room’ and if everyone’s done their job, the audience erupts in joyful applause. The children are still marching, but they’ve broken free of the oppressiveness of their silent steps, giving way to – you guessed it – the sound of music. Maria has completed her first act of the family’s transformation. Note: No tribute to “Do-Re-Mi” would be complete without an honourable mention of the flute and clarinet obbligato as Maria launches into “When you know the notes to sing….” Kudos to orchestrator Robert Russell Bennet for this legendary instrumental flourish!

4. Maria’s Defence of the Children

Lindsay and Crouse’s book for The Sound of Music has always come under fire for its sentimentality and let’s face it, that’s not an unwarranted opinion. Ernest Lehman’s screenplay for the film improved things considerably from top to bottom. That said, one extract from the book stands out – Maria’s monologue when she advocates for the children just after Georg’s return to the villa with Elsa and Max in tow. In her dressing down of her steely employer, she names each child and lets him know just how he is letting down each of them. This speech shows just how strong Maria is when she finds her purpose. She’s climbing that mountain long before the Mother Abess makes her realise what she’s doing and what she deserves.

3. The “Laendler“

Brigitta saw it, and so did we. At the glamorous party that Captain Von Trapp hosts to introduce his all-but-fiancé Elsa to his friends, his dance with Maria is a hot-blooded and scandalous breeze in the austere and pristine Austrian air. This song is more than just a cute ländler lesson: it’s a cunning loophole used by the writers to ramp up Georg’s feelings for Maria in a very public setting. While Elsa just misses out on a front-row seat to their sizzling steps, when she finds a blushing Maria being interrogated by Brigitta, she just can’t handle the heat. She knows that there’s more to it than Maria not being ‘very used to dancing’ and that she, Georg and Maria may be waltzing on the edge of a scandal.

2. “Edelweiss”

In case it wasn’t moving to know enough that “Edelweiss” was the last complete lyric written by Oscar Hammerstein before his death only nine months after The Sound of Music opened on Broadway, its placement in the show another remarkable dramatic event. While performing the song at the Kaltzberg Concert Hall, Georg has an emotional breakdown and is unable to continue singing. Only three words of the song are missed, but it feels like an eternity before Maria and the children rally, picking up where he left off and finally enabling him to join them in song once again. That pause feels like an eternity because that’s how big such a heartbreak is for a man who was so devastated by the death of his first wife that he almost gave up music and song forever. Here, thanks to his family, he finds a way through.

1. “The Sound of Music” 

One of the most meaningful moments of The Sound of Music comes halfway through the first act of the show when the title song is sung by the children to welcome Elsa to their home. The Captain overhears them and for him, it cuts close to the bone. This is, after all, what he has blocked out since the death of a woman he loved very dearly. But the power of music fills his heart and he can sing once more, joining in for the song’s final chorus. The children are amazed and as they all embrace, we all begin to weep. We know what that embrace means and we know the cost of the journey it has taken to enact it. This is the most truthful reflection in the show of what it means to be human.

Dearest readers, our journey through the gardens, mountains and ballrooms of The Sound of Music has allowed us to share seven of the most perfect moments from this classic musical. As we bid ‘so long and farewell to one another, let’s hope it is not too long until the next time the hills are alive with melodies that linger in our hearts like ‘a lark who is learning to pray!’

The creative team of the new South African production of The Sound of Music is headed by director Steven Stead, musical director Kevin Kraak and choreographer Duane Alexander. Brittany Smith stars as Maria Rainer, with Craig Urbani as Captain Georg von Trapp and Janelle Visagie as the Mother Abbess. The cast is rounded out by Nadia Beukes as Elsa Schraeder, William Berger as Max Detweiler, Ashley Scott as Liesl, Ché-Jean Jupp as Rolf, Schoeman Smit as Franz, Megan Spencer as Frau Schmidt, Alida Scheepers as Sister Magaretta, Danielle Speckman as Sister Berthe, Lusibalwethu Sesanti as Sister Sophia and Dean de Klerk as Herr Zeller, with Leah Mari as the Maria Alternate. The ensemble features Cindy-Anne Abrahams, Michiel Bester, Léa Blerk, Dineo Bokala, Mona Botha, Brandon Jones, Pumza Mxinwa, Linda Neleza, Asisipho Petu, Kirsten Pienaar, Tjaart van der Walt, Gerard van Rooyen, Van Wyk Venter and Lara Visagie. A host of 18 children played the roles of the Von Trapp children in Cape Town, with an additional 18 young performers taking over for the Johannesburg run. Bookings are through Webtickets.