And a song I don’t know.
It’s fairly different from the movie I remember. But my mama’s in a nursing home now, and we saw the movie version when it first came out with relatives from northern Michigan…now deceased. I called mama to let her know it was on…bittersweet memories of times past, for sure
I’m enjoying it so far.
Andrew Lloyd Webber did a revival of Sound of Music three years ago. Maria is a hard role to cast. Webber had a tv talent series to cast her.
My wife is watching it. It’s pretty bad – she can’t act, her voice is wrong for the part, Rolf looks (and sounds) about 40.
I gave it a shot, but Carrie Underwood just wasn’t doing it for me.
You, too? Same here, same reason, except I was in high school.
I appreciate that they are staging it much like a play with just a few sets. It’s a nice change from the typical elaborate tv productions.
I’m sorry, I know the day the music died was not about this movie, but I will forever think of that song whenever anyone mentions this production.
I watch the Sound Of Music at least once a month (I have the anniversary collectors edition), and it’s my all-time favorite movie, but I couldn’t even finish watching this rendition of it. I don’t know if it’s bad directing, not enough practice, opening night jitters, but I’ve seen better performances from local high schools.
No you haven’t. Come on. It’s fine if you weren’t enjoying it, but it bothers me when people say things like this. No high school has ever fielded an actor as talented as Christian Borle, a singer like Audra McDonald, or even a singer like Carrie Underwood. No high school has ever had sets that look like this, or clean, precise choreography so well executed. Christianne Noll, who is playing one of the auxiliary nuns, is exponentially better than any actor you’ve ever seen in a high school production.
I saw maybe a cumulative ten minutes of it while I was doing other things. I don’t begrudge them giving it a try, but there’s only one Julie Andrews. Carrie Underwood did her best, but her singing voice is a little too twangy, and she’s not nearly the actress Andrews was. Vampire Bill was OK. Audra McDonald has great pipes, but a black Austrian mother superior, in 1930-whatever? Hmm.
Yes, but there were some real disappointments. Carrie Underwood is talented, but her voice seemed too loud and brash for most of the songs to me, and frankly, she’s a really poor actress. To be sure, she really wasn’t helped by following Julie Andrews in the role.
And I was pleasantly surprised to see Steven Moyer cast as Captain Von Trapp, because I didn’t know that he sang. And, after seeing this, I still don’t know that he can sing. Handsome and dashing, yes, but the lead in a musical should really have a knockout voice.
It was perfectly fine. If this was presented as a movie perhaps there’s room for criticism, but it wasn’t; it was a live production on television intended as a Christmas (or holiday!) special.
It was fun, entertaining, and introduced a couple of songs that weren’t in the movie. Does everything you watch need to be subjected to intense scrutiny and judgement. Can’t you people just chill and watch something for the fun of it? Holy shit.
i saw like 15 minutes in the beginning
it wasn’t bad for what it was, but you’re just always gonna be a letdown when your comparison is Julie Andrews 
I can’t remember Christopher Plummer’s “knockout voice.” And Mary Martin, who originated the role, was somewhat brash.
Rather enjoyed it, although I was also doing stuff. Think I like the musical more than the movie…
But people singing about random crap and dancing all over the place is totally believable?
And speaking English to one another in Austria? (Some with British accents, some with American accents, and some with American accents trying to sound British. :))
Agreed! And while I’m being somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I do think that people often put too high an emphasis on things being ‘realistic’ over being engaging. I haven’t seen the show but Audra MacDonald is amazing and I suspect she sang the crap out of Climb Every Mountain!
Hell yeah.
Watching, because how could I not? But it’s really hard. It’s so familiar, so I can’t help but compare it to the movie or to live versions that I’ve seen. And they’re making a lot of weird choices. They’re kind of treating it like a play, but giving camera angles and closeups that you can’t get with a play, but they’re not taking full advantage the fact that it’s not confined to a stage, so it’s not working on either level.
Plus the performances - aren’t quite working for me so far.
One of the problems is that there are spaces in the script for audience reaction and energy and response and laughter and apparently they’re not doing it in front of a live audience so the dialogue isn’t working.
And Carrie Underwood just can’t act. But Benanti and MacDonald are pretty awesome, in spite of everything.
Agree with points above. Carrie Underwood is doing a poor job with the acting, but her yodeling is superb!