the sound of music live

[JaneBanks]

That was great. I really hope they decide to do this again!

 

[mom2rose&john]

Just finished watching and thought it was very good. I haven't watched the movie in many years and have not seen the theater production so I was viewing through fresh eyes. Carrie Underwood was good and her voice is beautiful. The only complaint I have is the amount of commercials, it would of been nice to have limited the amount. It would of created more of a stage production and not a live tv performance.

My ten year old daughter was glued to the performance and not her ipod. I I hope this revives the theater with younger people.

 

[Zooshoveller]

I thought it was cute, but just ok.

I'm a huge fan of the original, so my opinion is a bit biased. LOL

 

[gobledygook]

Well I thoroughly enjoyed that! I love the music from Sound of Music, and Climb Every Mountain always gets to me.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Audra McDonald and the children have salvaged this whole production for me. Carrie underwood is just painful to listen to and watch. Not a true blood watcher, but I give Von Trapp points for effort.

Sent from me.

I have it recorded, and I'm at the part where she arrives at the mansion, and I agree completely about Carrie Underwood. I think she is absolutely awful. I was hoping it would get better.

 

[lizabu]

That was great. I really hope they decide to do this again!

Me too. I really enjoyed it. Carrie underwood has a beautiful singing voice. Her acting wasn't great but I still loved it.

 

[DisneyDreamer2504]

I have it recorded, and I'm at the part where she arrives at the mansion, and I agree completely about Carrie Underwood. I think she is absolutely awful. I was hoping it would get better.

Her singing is lovely, that can't be denied. But I think it was something about her speaking voice. It felt out of place, like she should used a light accent of some kind. I just didn't feel it from her. I won't judge a persons acting ability, bc I'm no professional, but her actual speaking felt off to me.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Her singing is lovely, that can't be denied. But I think it was something about her speaking voice. It felt out of place, like she should used a light accent of some kind. I just didn't feel it from her. I won't judge a persons acting ability, bc I'm no professional, but her actual speaking felt off to me.

It most certainly can be denied.

Sent from me.

 

[sandramaac]

I disagree. that shouldn't be the standard for acceptability. That's like saying, "It's okay for a mediocre level." How about getting someone who CAN act as well as sing?

I'm very biased, I'll admit it. I have friends who are Broadway gypsies. They go from one Broadway show to another. They work their buns off to constantly improve. They STILL take acting AND singing classes all the time because they know they won't get hired if they are mediocre. No one accepts that level for them.

Honestly, Underwood was just god awful.

I've appeared in this musical three times, once playing Liesl, once as Maria and once playing Elsa--I know this libretto inside and out. The musical plays much differently than the movie, song order is different, characters that do not sing in the film sing in the musical.

It was originally written for R and H muse Mary Martin. She played the role much differently than Andrews did in the film--both wonderful performances--but Underwood was awful.

First staging a live perfomance musical in a theater with a live audience is way different than performing it via tv without the audience. Many of the 'funny' lines, moving moments that are meant to get an audience response were played as if they were playing them to a live audience--there was no live audience therefore it did not translate well at all!! The only one who really got this was Audra McDonald, who just nailed it, and knew she was in a play that was being televised on tv. Next were the Max and Elsa characters--they were very good (and I was so glad to see their songs not cut as often done even in theatrical productions of this play, because they are two R and H gems). What happened to the acting coach for this production?? Did Cpt. Von Trapp ever take an acting class and not know that?

Now Underwood--she is good in her genre of music, but who came up with this casting. She really was beyond awful--I've seen a production of this show at a performing arts high school in recent years, and it 100 times better than this was, and the girl who played Maria, didn't play Maria as Julie Andrews playing Maria, but as the character Maria--with her own spin, and she was amazing. Hope Underwood wasnt looking get future acting jobs, or be cast in a broadway show, because she won't. What is a shame is that Underwood is a mutli-millionaire, and could not hold her own against a true artist such a McDonald, who I am sure is well off, but does not get the pay checks Underwood does.

I had high hopes for this productions---but it was bad, way awful...sorry folks.

 

[dminnie]

Ugh!

 

[Lorelei Lee]

I did love the moment while he was singing Edelweiss and he looks at the Nazi banner and his voice trails off. Very effective.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DISBoards

 

[PammyK]

I'm not going to label Carrie Underwood's performance as awful, because she can indeed sing. However, she was woefully miscast in the role of Maria with regard to both her acting and her vocal qualities. I'm not going to comment on the acting because we all know that Underwood is a singer, not an actress, and needs significantly more time and training to hone her acting chops if she wants to continue down the actor's path.

Vocally, the role of Maria is really not suited to a country belter - it calls for more lightness in the tone and more nuanced color variance than the belting style can produce, especially if one has little or no musical theater training/experience. Unfortunately, Underwood's style came across as too heavy, in my opinion, and since they weren't truly in an unmic'd theater setting where some belting might be needed to reach the back row, it didn't work for me at all.

It is a shame because I think the poor casting choice paid a disservice to Underwood, the show and the genre. With another role, more suited to her vocal range and style, Underwood might have had a better shot at being successful in this genre.

 

[disneychrista]

I think I will stick the the movie. Half-way through and I just can't get into it. Everything just seems off too (songs & scenes in the "wrong" order).

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell should have done a live sprint commercial talking about the performance. That would have been so awesome or whatever cre cre word they say.

 

[JaneBanks]

I think I will stick the the movie. Half-way through and I just can't get into it. Everything just seems off too (songs & scenes in the "wrong" order).

ETA: Whoops, I think I get what you meant!

 

[disneychrista]

They weren't in the wrong order. They were doing the original stage production, not the movie.
ETA: Whoops, I think I get what you meant!

Yes, I know it is being based on the stage production (that is why wrong was in quotes.) But I have only seen the movie and it just seems weird to me.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I'm not going to label Carrie Underwood's performance as awful, because she can indeed sing. However, she was woefully miscast in the role of Maria with regard to both her acting and her vocal qualities. I'm not going to comment on the acting because we all know that Underwood is a singer, not an actress, and needs significantly more time and training to hone her acting chops if she wants to continue down the actor's path.

Vocally, the role of Maria is really not suited to a country belter - it calls for more lightness in the tone and more nuanced color variance than the belting style can produce, especially if one has little or no musical theater training/experience. Unfortunately, Underwood's style came across as too heavy, in my opinion, and since they weren't truly in an unmic'd theater setting where some belting might be needed to reach the back row, it didn't work for me at all.

It is a shame because I think the poor casting choice paid a disservice to Underwood, the show and the genre. With another role, more suited to her vocal range and style, Underwood might have had a better shot at being successful in this genre.

Very good assessment!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I think it's perfectly legitimate to critique Carrie Underwood's acting ability, or lack thereof. She was cast in a national TV production of a show in which she was, in fact, supposed to be "acting".

I stopped watching it, but haven't deleted it yet. I'm still intrigued by the whole idea of the production, so I may try to watch the rest. Or not.

 

[ashley0139]

Watching the west coast feed and we are at Climb Every Mountain.

Carrie Underwood is terrible - vocally, acting, just terrible. She's a great country singer. She should not be Maria.

Laura Benanti as Elsa is by far the highlight. She is absolutely stunning and an amazing actress. As a Broadway veteran, I'm not surprised.

Audra McDonald - there are no words for how amazing she is.

All the kids are adorable.

 

[disykat]

I'm surprised, amazed actually, but I loved it. I cried at the end, as always.

I am not a Carrie Underwood fan because I feel like she over sings. (I can't STAND her version of How Great Thou Art that everyone seems to love!) Certainly not a fan of her acting either.

However, she is a "draw" and a way to pull a younger audience into the joys of musical theater. I thought she did an admirable job, certainly better than I was expecting.

I was able to overcome her voice etc. and get pulled right back into the experience. Isn't that what theater is about? It's not about perfection, it's about carrying the story. I feel they did that tonight.