The Sound of Music Live! (2013)

A live telecast of the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

Directors:

Rob Ashford, Beth McCarthy-Miller

Writers:

Austin Winsberg (adaptation), Howard Lindsay (book)

Stars:

Carrie Underwood, Stephen Moyer, Laura Benanti

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carrie Underwood	...	Maria Rainer
Stephen Moyer	...	Captain Von Trapp
Laura Benanti	...	Elsa Schrader
Christian Borle	...	Max Detweiler
Audra McDonald	...	Mother Abbess
Ariane Rinehart	...	Liesl von Trapp
Michael Campayno	...	Rolf Gruber
Sophia Anne Caruso	...	Brigitta (as Sophia Caruso)
Peyton Ella	...	Gretl von Trapp
Michael Nigro	...	Fredrich
Grace Rundhaug	...	Marta von Trapp
Ella Watts-Gorman	...	Louisa (as Ella Watts)
Joe West	...	Kurt
Jessica Molaskey	...	Sister Berthe
Christiane Noll	...	Sister Margaretta

Storyline

A live telecast of the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

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Plot Keywords:

live broadcast | delivery boy | religion | christian | catholicism | 

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Taglines:

The beloved family classic comes alive again.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | History | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sound of Music

Filming Locations:

Grumman Studios, Bethpage, Long Island, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sony Pictures Television,Storyline Entertainment,Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The city of Salzburg (the setting of the play and the hometown of the von Trapps) is never once mentioned.

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Goofs

After the dancing, and dinner is announced, Baroness Elsa Scraeder walks into the room and someone behind her steps on her dress.

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Quotes

Captain Von Trapp: Before you meet the children, you will put on another dress.
Maria Rainer: I haven't any other dress. When we enter the abbey, our worldly clothes are given to the poor.
Captain Von Trapp: What about this one?
Maria Rainer: The poor didn't want this one.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Battle of the Decades: 2000s Game 3 (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Lonely Goatherd
Written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Performed by Carrie Underwood, Ariane Rinehart, Michael Nigro, Ella Watts-Gorman, Joe West, Sophia Anne Caruso, Grace Rundhaug, and Peyton Ella

User Reviews

Stage to Screen to TV

I have been reading the other postings with great interest and what I have taken from the collective comments is the lack of understanding that this admirable (Yes, Ms. Underwood needs more acting lessons, though her singing was a pure enjoyable Broadway belt) television broadcast is closely based on the original 1959 stage version written by Lindsey and Crouse (book) and Rodgers and Hammerstein (score) for Mary Martin, with Theodore Bikel co-starring as the Captain, a fact that all of the publicity for this TV version has stated.

One poster on this thread stated he was sorry the TV got the scenes out of order; I beg to differ. The film got the scenes out of order. It was the film version that substituted "My Favorite Things" for "The Lonely Goatherd" in the storm scene, regulating the latter song to some strange interpolated puppet sequence and depriving the Mother Abbess of her part in a duet with Maria.

This version didn't add the two songs for the Elsa and Max. It was the film version that deleted them from the score while adding "Confidence in Me", a 'travelling' song that was justified in a cinematic sense but not needed in the stage version, as the TV broadcast clearly vindicated.

In fact, speaking of the songs, I was sorry to see that one mediocre song ("Something Good") was substituted for another mediocre song ("An Ordinary Couple"). At least that deleted song had a lyric by Hammerstein; Rodgers himself wrote the lyric to "Something Good".

"The Sound of Music" isn't a great show, but it is an audience favorite. It shared the Tony Award for Best Musical with "Fiorello!" and Ms. Martin beat out the likes of Ethel Merman for Best Actress in a Musical. The TV version was an honorable attempt (and broadcast live was a great idea--anyone else notice how the train in the Baroness's dress was stepped on by another actor?). I hope network television experiments further with this idea (though keeping the commercials down might be a good idea--a bunch at the beginning, a clump in the middle, and another cluster at the end would keep the audiences involved.). So, congrats to all involved. Keep singing.