How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

Apparently, by creating a reality show. That's what Andrew Lloyd Webber did when he decided to mount a West End revival of "The Sound Of Music." He let viewers of a reality show pick the woman who would fill the shoes of Julie Andrews. Despite all sorts of mini-controversies, the TV show did well and now the musical has opened. It's an unqualified hit for Connie Fisher (who received across the board raves) and for the revival itself, which looks like a box office hit. The prickly Nicholas De Jongh of Evening Standard liked her a lot, and The Guardian and the Times of London raved. Reuters has a rundown of other critics. They're going to do the same thing for Broadway by launching a TV show contest next year to find two leads for "Grease." Here's a nice post-triumph interview with Fisher.