The pre-show scrim says it all -- a snow globe scene of Austria. And once “The Sound of Music” starts, that’s just what you get -- a lovely, shimmering look at a now famous story.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” was the team’s last venture together. After hits like “The King & I,” “South Pacific” and “Carousel,” the R&H era ground to a halt with the illness of Hammerstein.

And with the film version such an icon of American entertainment, it might be hard to surpass that image of Julie Andrews tripping across the mountains, singing. However, once you adapt to the pace and scale of the stage show (after all, there’s no way to compete with those sweeping panoramas of the film), the evening settles into warm entertainment. And if it doesn’t provide any theatrical fireworks, it more than makes up for it with charm.

THE STORY

In a nutshell (for those few souls who don’t already know), the plot is inspired by the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers and Maria, a postulant studying to become a nun. Torn between life in the Nonnberg Abbey and life on the outside, she is sent to work as a governess for the Von Trapps. The seven children are motherless, and the father is a disciplinarian who refers to their clothes are uniforms and calls them by means of a Boatswain’s whistle.

Due to a lack of attention from their father, the children rebel by frightening away nannys. Into this scene comes Maria.

She wins over the children and brings music back to the palatial home where there has been none since the death of the mother. This softens Captain Von Trapp, and he and Maria eventually fall in love and marry.

Returning from his honeymoon, he finds the Nazis overtaking Austria. They attempt to force a commission in their Navy upon him. However, the family escapes via a singing appearance at a folk festival and live happily ever after once they trek across the mountains to the safety of Switzerland.

This is an interesting show in the way that it bills its stars. Mary Martin created the role on Broadway 40 years ago. Julie Andrews made the role her own later in the film version. And when the show was revived in New York two years ago, Rebecca Luker was the draw.

THE STARS

While the film leaned more heavily on Maria, the stage version gives almost equal time to Maria and the Captain. Meg Tolin stars as Maria and Richard Chamberlain is Captain Von Trapp. And as Chamberlain has a far more noteworthy name than Tolin, it is his presence that you’ll see above the title and in all advertising.

Is this just a marketing ploy to get you in? Not at all as Chamberlain impressively fills the role with confidence, strength and amazing control. He is totally in command.

Meg Tolin, a ringer for Meg Ryan, plays Maria admirably, if a little too gosh-golly. She has a sweet singing voice but could shade her performance a bit musically. She’s singing a score that’s become a classic in American musical theater, but too much of her performance is the same.

Chamberlain, on the other hand, shows why he’s had a career that’s run from some of the most powerful mini-series in television history to classic stage productions of “Hamlet” and “Richard II.” He is stone cold when necessary, and yet melts when faced with losing his homeland.

He works wonderfully with the children, and for those who don’t know the full range of his skills, his singing will be a pleasant surprise. (Local theater-goers will remember that he starred in a revival of “My Fair Lady” that swung through town a few seasons ago -- with Tolin as his co-star.)

THE SUPPORTING CAST

The supporting company is grand as well. Rachel de Benedet turns in a diva-like performance as Elsa Schraeder, who appears to have the Captain sewn up as her husband to be. And Drew Eshelman is great as Max Detweiler, the entrepreneur who longs to make musical stars out of the children, although “it wouldn’t be bad for me either.”

And then there’s the children -- each and every one a pro. Each is unique and each turns in a fine performance. They are: Megan McGinnis as Liesl, Greg Sullo as Friedrich, Diana Rice as Louisa, Alex Bowen as Kurt, Carissa Farina as Brigitta, Andrea Bowen as Marta and little Ashlee Keating as Gretl. Although she’s only as big as a peanut, Ashlee will capture your heart in “Do Re Mi” and has a two second bit of business that upstages the entire number.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

This is a show that’s clearly about the music, and with Rodgers and Hammerstein, there’s not much to question. From the title song to “My Favorite Things,” just about every number is a standard. Additionally, two songs from the film (“I Have Confidence” and “Something Good”) have been added to the revival, which is presented by Hallmark.

The true goose-bump moment of the show is provided not by the leading players, but by Jeanne Lehman as Mother Abbess. She closes Act One with a glorious version of “Climb Every Mountain.”

(An additional treat on opening night was seeing several members of the actual Von Trapp Family in the audience -- including Liesl.)

“The Sound of Music” is at The Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street in Boston, through November 7. For information, call 617-9312787.

Also...A collection of paintings by Richard Chamberlain is on exhibit at the Creative Allies Gallery, 228 Newbury Street, through November 7.

R. J. Donovan

Since seeing `Peter Pan' as a little girl in Denver, Meg Tolin has been hearing `The Sound of Music'
When Peter Pan flew off to Never-Never Land in the skies above her home in Denver, Colo., little Meg Tolin wanted to go with him. She was only 6, but she understood theater well enough to know where she wanted to go -- and that her life was never going to be ordinary.

``I wanted to be up there,'' she says, referring to the sky and the stage, later coming to realize they were one and the same.

``I was singing before talking and dancing before walking. I was very animated. I loved being on stage. I dreamed about it.''

But Never-Never Land was never this good. Instead of following the migratory route of Peter Pan, she is climbing every mountain in the boots of Mary Martin and Julie Andrews, both of whom played Maria in the most popular musical ever made, The Sound of Music.

Nor did her childhood fantasy conjure up leading men quite as formidable as Richard Chamberlain, but there it is. Tolin, now grown up, finds herself Edelweiss-ing with the miniseries maestro, who plays Captain Georg von Trapp in the first national tour of the Broadway revival, which opens Tuesday and runs through Nov. 21 at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland.

The Sound of Music is quintessential family entertainment. Little children (and big ones) in Japan, the Netherlands, Peru, Sweden, Finland, Greece, South Africa, Iceland and Israel know the words to the songs. Indeed, the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization has licensed more than 20,000 productions of it worldwide since the original Broadway show in 1960, which ran for 1,443 performances and won seven Tonys. In this country, 600,000 people see live stage versions of the show each year.

That's a lot of theater seats, and they're typically occupied by families all spiffed up to savor a timeless classic, a melodic romp with a G rating and a happy ending. ``I love looking out into the audience and seeing the moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles,'' Tolin says. Not to mention kids, who are onstage and in the audience and who complement The Sound of Music like jelly goes with peanut butter. It's exposure that children need.

``Theater shows children a fantasy world and helps their imaginations grow,'' Tolin says. ``It helps them see the world from different points of view and exposes them to a tradition. . . . The audience is a character in the play, and kids are a part of it.''

They learn the responsibility of being an audience member in an interactive solution that shuts out all the machines.

Best of all, they can relate to the story of the kids whose governess captures their hearts and that of their widowed father, and the mischief they stir up. ``Maria does make play clothes from the drapes, but sewing wasn't a prerequisite for the show,'' Tolin says. ``I do play guitar, however, and we sing most of the songs from the movie and the musical.'' That includes I Have Confidence and Something Good, two songs from the original score that were not in the film.

``We get married in the second act,'' she says. ``It's pretty romantic, especially with Richard Chamberlain in the lead.'' They have worked together before, in 1993 in the North American and European tours of My Fair Lady, each in the leading roles. ``I have great respect for him. He's a cultural icon.''

Kids will recall having seen Chamberlain on stage when they're grown up. Some of them are going to want to Do Re Mi themselves someday, like Tolin did when she was 6. ``It's a difficult life,'' she says. ``If they can think of anything else they would like to do, they should do it.

``You're not getting a paycheck most of the time. It's a profession that takes a lot of soul-searching, classes, lessons and it can be lonely. It's extremely demanding.''

Tolin must rest her voice during the day and reserve her energy -- no racquetball or the like. ``I can't do a lot. As a soprano, I can't eat things that are spicy. . . . ''

She didn't get into acting seriously until after she had gotten a well-rounded education. ``My first professional, get-paid job was when I was 20 years old in New Hampshire, in summer stock. I was Ophelia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.''

Her first performance ever was as Piglet in an elementary school play. ``I was pretty darn good,'' she said. Piglet and Peter Pan were seeds that planted her in theater and changed the course of her life.

``It's wonderful because I'm doing what I love.''

It's a life that's anything but ordinary.