COEUR d'ALENE - Theater stages and movie screens have been coming alive with the "Sound of Music" for more than five decades.

The true tale of the von Trapp family and their governess, Maria, opens tonight on stage in Coeur d'Alene.

"The interesting thing about the 'Sound of Music' is the heart of the story and the political turmoil that exists in telling it," said Kirk Mouser, director of the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre production.

The story is set in Austria, shortly before World War II. It opens with Maria, a novice living in an abbey preparing to become a nun, as she experiences some inner conflict over her choice of vocation. In a move the nuns believe will give Maria the space she needs to decide if she's ready to take her monastic vows, they send Maria away from the abbey to act as governess for the seven children of the widowed Captain von Trapp.

The beauty of Austria and the relationships that develop between Maria and the children and the captain are juxtaposed with the imminent occupation of Austria by the Germans.

Those relationships are the heart of the story, Mouser said.

"Underneath all of this is this very dark, sinister work of the Nazi regime," he said.

Americans relate to the situation, Mouser said, because they themselves respond to adversity - various wars and economic turmoil - in the same way the von Trapps and Maria do. They turn to the people they love, their families and their faith.

"It's a universal message that is as heartfelt today as it was when the music was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein," he said.

The Nazi elements were far less visible back in the days of the show's first productions, Mouser said. It was too close to World War II.

"Now that we're slightly removed, they're more front and center," he said.

The show first opened on Broadway in 1959, and closed in 1963.

"Sound of Music" opened as a musical film in 1965, and won five Academy Awards.

The film has become an American classic, something Mouser said would not be the case if the story and music were not rich with such strong characters and themes.

"People are coming to see the movie," Mouser said.

Summer Theatre audiences will be pleased, he said, to find a few songs that were written for the movie are included in this stage production.

Mouser said the most recent stage revivals of the "Sound of Music," including the Coeur d'Alene production, incorporate the best elements of the original Broadway show with those from the film.

Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre veterans, Jessica Skerritt (Cinderella in "Cinderella" last summer) and her husband Dane Stokinger ("Pump Boys and Dinettes" last summer) star as the leads, Maria and Captain von Trapp. The cast also features local children in the roles of the von Trapp kids.

It is the first time Mouser, a seasoned director, has led a cast through the "Sound of Music," although he has previously acted in the role of Captain von Trapp.

"I'm a huge fan of the show," he said.

It is Mouser's fourth season with Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. He previously directed "Les Miserables," "Miss Saigon" and "Hairspray" at Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre.

Mouser is also artistic director of a theater company in Portland, Ore., Stumptown Stages.

"Sound of Music" runs Aug. 11 to Aug. 21 at North Idaho College's Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center, 1000 W. Garden Ave., Coeur d'Alene.

Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. with matinee shows on Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket prices: $39.95 for adults, $35.95 for seniors and $25.95 for children (ages 6-12). Group prices available for 10 or more. Information: www.cdasummertheatre.com or call the Box Office at 769-7780