VIDEO: Lauren Kidwell Belts Out 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain'

Manila, Philippines--Lauren Kidwell, who plays Mother Abbess in the US National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music," reprises the same role in the Asian tour engagements of the beloved family musical, which plays the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre at Circuit Makati until March 26, 2023.

In the featured video, watch how Kidwell holds power over the audience in her hand as the actor (also a singer-songwriter, director, and coach) belts out the inspirational anthem "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" with her scene partner Jill-Christine Wiley, who plays the postulant Maria.

But did you know Kidwell has played the role of Mother Abbess about 520 times already?

"Jill-Christine and I have been part of the show on the road since 2017," Kidwell told BroadwayWorld.

"It's been a while, but honestly, every day, I still get surprised that after so many performances, when we get on stage and act opposite each other, it still feels fresh and new."

Three-time Tony winner Jack O-Brien, who directs this production, aimed at re-dissecting and digging much deeper into the characters from "The Sound of Music," which different generations fell in love with. One creative decision was to cast actors of somewhat the same age for the roles of Maria and Mother Abbess, which traditionally is offered to an older actor and dramatically changes the dynamics between the two.

"They want Mother Abbess to be younger; they want her to look at Maria like more of a sister than looking down at her as a 'mother.' So, we were able to discover the nuances of that, Maria's love for the mountains and music, and the possibility that she would, at some point, choose between two things: the family or the church," said Kidwell.

Based on the memoir "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," written by Maria Augusta von Trapp, "The Sound of Music" is set in Austria right before World War II (1939). A postulant named Maria proves too high-spirited for a life of prayer in the abbey and is re-assigned to serve as a governess to a widowed navy captain's seven children. Maria wins over the children and, eventually, the heart of their father.

Besides O'Brien's direction, this production also features Danny Mefford's choreography, Andy Einhorn's musical supervision, Matt Lenz's original tour restaging, James Gray's original choreography restaging, Douglas Schmidt's set design, Jane Greenwood's costume design, Natasha Katz's lighting design, and Shannon Slaton's sound design.

Its cast also includes Cassi Mikat (Sister Berthe, Baroness Eberfeld), Cassidy Sledge (Sister Margaretta), Amanda Hootman (Sister Sophia), Trevor Martin (Captain von Trapp), Dayne Joyner (Franz), Sabina Petra (Frau Schmidt), Markki Stroem (Rolf Gruber), Karylle Tatlonghari (Elsa Schraeder), Alli Atkenson (Ursula), Joshua La Force (Max Detweiler), Sean Thompson (Herr Zeller), Patrick Cogan (Baron Elberfeld), and Cory Greenan (Admiral von Schreiber).

The children are played by Lauren O'Brien (Liesl), Daniel Karash (Friedrich), Audrey Simon Winters (Louisa), Desmond Elyseev (Kurt), Lydia de Jesus (Brigita), Olivia O'Sullivan (Marta), and Olive Ross-Kline (Gretl).

The Broadway International Group, Broadway Asia, AMA Group of Companies, in association with GMG Productions, co-present the Manila leg of the show's international tour, which kicked off in Singapore, followed by a limited run in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

After Manila, the production travels to Mumbai, India.

"The Sound of Music" is accompanied by a 17-piece orchestra conducted by T.C. Kincer

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