How do you solve a problem like Maria?

I just got home from Israel Musicals' production of The Sound of Music. I wasn't sure what to expect from an amateur, English-language production in Israel, but I enjoyed it! The women who played Maria and the Mother Abbess were amazing, as was the 14-year-old who played Liesl. (Sadly, the men in the cast couldn't quite keep up with the women, but the men are much less important in this show, anyway.) For three hours, I was transported to Austria in 1938.

Except for a few touches that reminded me that I'm in Jerusalem. First, the actors playing Nazis wore red arm bands without swastikas. I thought that was a wise choice; you never know who might be in the audience. Second, none of the actresses playing nuns wore crosses or rosary beads. Third, the girl who played Liesl is shomeret negiah, and the blocking took that into account. It was actually quite well done, and I might not have noticed if I hadn't known from the start. There was also a woman who had her hair covered both onstage and in her picture in the program, and I assume her costuming was making allowances for her religious preferences, although again, I probably wouldn't have noticed had I not been sensitive to the issue from the start.

I was actually really touched by all of these small details. Where else in the world can a young girl who's shomeret negiah (and, presumably, shomeret Shabbat) play Liesl? Some days, I really love this country.