BY KAREN BOSSICK

They stood just 2 feet tall. And the human nun who interacted with them looked like a giant sitting next to them.

But these hand-carved pieces of wood captivated the imagination as the Salzburg Marionette Theater brought the “Sound of Music” to life in unique fashion.

The venerable institution, founded 122 years ago in 1893, played to two sell-out audiences at The Argyros Theatre this past week.

The first of the two performances was, said The Argyros’ Artistic Director Casey Mott, the third sell-out performance in a week—in slack season, no less.

“I feel a sense of community on a night like this, and to elevate it with an international experience is really special,” he added.

The Salzburg Marionette Theater debuted in a lavish Baroque-style theater in Salzburg, Austria, with Mozart’s ”Bastien and Bastienne.” Over the years, the theatre expanded its repertoire to include children’s fairy tales with a character reminiscent of Mr. Punch, and in the 1950s it began to produce such Mozart operas as “The Magic Flute,” “Don Giovanni” and “The Marriage of Figaro.”

It produced Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2001, followed by Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” in 2003. And in 2007 its visionaries decided to pay homage to “The Sound of Music,” which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, with a 90-minute adaptation of the classic story.

It was fitting, as “The Lonely Goatherd” puppet play in the Julie Andrews movie was actually inspired by the Salzburg Marionette Theatre.

Company members did their research for the puppet play by simply walking out onto the streets of Salzburg and hiking in the lovely hills that surround the city, said Director Richard Hamburger.  They commissioned a Swiss puppet carver to carve between 30 and 90 puppets (the puppeteers don’t have time to change costumes in the middle of the play), and company’s 10 puppeteers handcrafted the backdrops and sets.

The puppet play opened, as did the film, with Maria dancing around the hills, a lark flitting around her. Only the mountain bounced when she landed on it. Finally, she came down to earth, with a bunch of finger-wagging nuns singing “How Do you Solve a Problem Like Maria?” as Mother Superior appeared next to the set, looking like a giant next to the small puppets.

Subsequent scenes included bicycles with wheels that turned, Von Trapp children who could express their emotions by bouncing into the sky and turning cartwheels and a mysterious giant white hand that elicited chuckles as it rose through a trap door on occasion to help arrange things on stage.

All amidst beautiful set backdrops and even a ferocious lightning storm on stage.

As mesmerizing as the puppets at the front of the stage were, an equally mesmerizing performance was taking place backstage where the puppeteers operated up to 14 puppets at a time, moving in and around each other while sandwiched between set changes.

Audience members could watch this choreographed dance from the balcony, seeing for themselves why the theatre has been recognized by UNESCO as one of the top marionette theaters in the world and for keeping alive Austrian heritage in a unique way.

More than 600 of the hand-carved puppets used over the years can be seen, by the way, at the Marionette Museum at Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg.

Tim Mott, who championed the nexStage Theatre—The Argyros’ predecessor--and then The Argyros itself, said he has enjoyed the wide diversity of shows that The Argyros brought to Sun Valley since opening six years ago.

Some people doubted whether the theatre would be able to field audiences at certain times of the year, he said: “But, I think I heard we had something like 18 or 19 sold-out performances this past summer alone.”

COMING UP:

Nov. 29—Homegrown Film Festival

Dec 10-11 Adrinne Haan’s White Christmas, a tribute to Irving Berlin

Dec. 3-7—Sun Valley Film Festival

Dec. 13—Wood River Orchestra Holiday Concert and Fundraiser

Dec. 14—Sun Valley Opera and Broadway A Country Christmas Celebration and Concert with The Hurdy Gurdy Girls

Dec. 17—The Rescignos’s holiday comedy show “Idaholy Night”

Dec. 27—Alabama-born country crooner Kashus Culpepper with Tylor & the Train Robbers

Dec. 28—Kashus Culpepper with Aaron Golay & the Original Sin