the sound of music live

[PizzieDuster]

I started watching this and after about 15 minutes I got distracted and forgot I was watching it! Was I bored or just embarrassed for Carrie? Both.

I did see Carrie's opening lyric, coming around the tree with her eyes wide open, my eyes went wide open (like someone else yawning, you yawn too) and my daughter came in and said "what's wrong?" As I read what other posters said about Cary being nervous, that makes sense, because I have Carrie/Maria impression that my daughter will never forget.

DisneyChrista said "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."

I knew that too but when you've watched it for maybe 50 times you get use to memorizing the songs. Here I am in my kitchen belting out "My Favorite Things" then Carrie hits a different note and I'm thinking "hey, that was wrong." But I understand. I still couldn't stick with it.

Hope to catch it again. After reading these comments, I really wanted to see the kids and the end. It does make me want to watch the original film AGAIN!

Do-Re-Mi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uAAOZ_J99I

 

[jdb in AZ]

I wasn't familiar with Audra McDonald so after reading some of the comments here I did a web search. Wow!

http://www.cinemablend.com/televisi...e-sound-music-climb-every-mountain-60906.html

 

[PizzieDuster]

This bed/lightening scene. The Lonely Goatherd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTEBKRZtdMY

CBS has posted some videos on their youtube channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/NBC/videos

 

[asta]

My first thought was why mess with a masterpiece. I love the original movie so much that it is hard to see it changed. I do think that by casting younger, more current performers this production probably brought in a younger adience. That was probably the point. And Carrie Underwood is a big draw. She wasn't great but she had such big shoes to fill.

I know that I will get attacked for this but I think Audra McDonald was totally miscast. She is a beautiful singer but an African American just did not fit as a mother superior in Nazi era Austria. That sad time in that part of the world was all about the powers in control insisting on Aryan superiority. That is one of the main points in the plot of this show. When you are casting a play/show about a true historical period I think you should make the characters believable. It would have been nice if the world had been more tolerant and accepting back then but it just wasn't the case.

 

[dizzwizz]

Audra, Laura and the children were the best part of this production. They were believable and also good singers. As for Maria and especially the wooden, woefully miscast Capt. Von Trapp... :|

 

[Conservative Hippie]

My first thought was why mess with a masterpiece. I love the original movie so much that it is hard to see it changed. I do think that by casting younger, more current performers this production probably brought in a younger adience. That was probably the point. And Carrie Underwood is a big draw. She wasn't great but she had such big shoes to fill.

I know that I will get attacked for this but I think Audra McDonald was totally miscast. She is a beautiful singer but an African American just did not fit as a mother superior in Nazi era Austria. That sad time in that part of the world was all about the powers in control insisting on Aryan superiority. That is one of the main points in the plot of this show. When you are casting a play/show about a true historical period I think you should make the characters believable. It would have been nice if the world had been more tolerant and accepting back then but it just wasn't the case.

If they wanted a historically accurate performance, Maria wouldn't have been from Oklahoma.

It's a good thing the opera/musical theater world doesn't feel the same way, otherwise minorities would never get roles.

Sent from me.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

My first thought was why mess with a masterpiece. I love the original movie so much that it is hard to see it changed. I do think that by casting younger, more current performers this production probably brought in a younger adience. That was probably the point. And Carrie Underwood is a big draw. She wasn't great but she had such big shoes to fill.

I know that I will get attacked for this but I think Audra McDonald was totally miscast. She is a beautiful singer but an African American just did not fit as a mother superior in Nazi era Austria. That sad time in that part of the world was all about the powers in control insisting on Aryan superiority. That is one of the main points in the plot of this show. When you are casting a play/show about a true historical period I think you should make the characters believable. It would have been nice if the world had been more tolerant and accepting back then but it just wasn't the case.

Broadway does color blind casting these days. Unless race is a factor in the plot, you will see a very diverse cast.

There is a dance number in a show -- I think it's Sweet Charity but I could be wrong -- which plays on the "Irish cop" stereotype. One of the "cops" was African-American.

 

[luvflorida]

Overall, I thought the production was quite good, especially the musical numbers. The children did a wonderful job! They were all great, but I did think that the boy playing Kurt stood out and just seemed very natural in his role.

As others have said, Carrie Underwood probably was miscast as Maria. I felt she warmed up to the role as the show progressed, but something about her performance just didn't seem to mesh with everyone else. Her performance seemed kind of stilted and robotic at times, if that makes any sense.

I did enjoy the performance, and I know it was based on the stage production (which I've seen on Broadway a few times and at many community theatres) but I still prefer the movie version.

 

[JanaDee]

Megan Hilty should have been cast as Maria.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, I have to agree with PammyK, and her thoughts.

Due to the things she mentioned, and many other HUGE misses in casting and in direction, I simply could not bear to sit thru this... And I love this musical! It was just so much of a 'miss' on so many levels. (I too felt that Audra, as some others, were so badly miscast... i just hate it when movies/etc just insult one's intelligence.)

I won't even go into the complete lack of ability and talent shown in the stage acting and stage direction. When it first came on, and I was trying to watch and follow the Captain, I was like, what!!!????? It was like, let's talk in some ridiculously face accent, and then speak so very fast (in order to speed up the running time?) that one can't even follow... OMG... it was just bad. He was def. a better actor than Carrie, though. I noticed that he corrected the over-accent and fast speaking, to some degree, as the performance progressed.

It is not a good thing when some of the supporting cast completely outshine/act/sing the stars.

And, yes, LOVED Kurt!!!!!!
Most of the kids were really good!

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Yes, I have to agree with PammyK, and her thoughts.

Due to the things she mentioned, and many other HUGE misses in casting and in direction, I simply could not bear to sit thru this... And I love this musical! It was just so much of a 'miss' on so many levels.

I won't even go into the complete lack of ability and talent shown in the stage acting and stage direction. When it first came on, and I was trying to watch and follow the Captain, I was like, what!!!????? It was like, let's talk in some ridiculously face accent, and the speak so very fast (on order to speed up the running time) that one can't even follow... OMG... it was just bad. He was def. a better actor than Carrie, though.

It is not a good thing when some of the supporting cast completely outshine/act/sing the stars.

And, yes, LOVED Kurt!!!!!!
Most of the kids were really good!

Looooooooved Kurt!!!!! (I love boy sopranos!)

Sent from me.

 

[goofinoff]

Megan Hilty should have been cast as Maria.

She would have been great. But I agree with a PP who said that Carrie Underwood has the star power that the network was looking for to draw an audience.

I feel bad that Carrie is being ripped apart for this. This was her first acting gig and considering it was on live tv I think she did pretty good. The kids were fantastic as was Audra McDonald.

 

[JanaDee]

She would have been great. But I agree with a PP who said that Carrie Underwood has the star power that the network was looking for to draw an audience.

I feel bad that Carrie is being ripped apart for this. This was her first acting gig and considering it was on live tv I think she did pretty good. The kids were fantastic as was Audra McDonald.

This isn't her first acting gig. She was in Soul Surfer and was just as wooden and unnatural in that role.

 

[Wishing on a star]

First acting gig or not, yes, she WILL get torn apart.

For your first big Prime Time gig, you don't do something as wonderful and classic and iconic as Sound Of Music unless you know you have the acting and vocal abilities to pull it off. Otherwise, you will be judged.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Unless race is a factor in the plot, you will see a very diverse cast.

Sorry, but if race isn't a factor in the plot of NAZI era Germany and Austria, then somebody is really missing something.

And, while Audra can really, really, sing...
Just personality and character wise... Also a huge miss and contrary to the plot and the character.

Again, I just hate it when these things just completely and totally insult one's intelligence.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I watched this last night and tried to keep an open mind.

The original Sound of Music, IMHO, cannot be improved on.

Last night's performance was okay. Just okay. None of the performers in this version held a candle to the original cast.

Did I say I tried to keep an open mind?

TC

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Sorry, but if race isn't a factor in the plot of NAZI era Germany and Austria, then somebody is really missing something.

And, while Audra can really, really, sing...
Just personality and character wise... Also a huge miss and contrary to the plot and the character.

Again, I just hate it when these things just completely and totally insult one's intelligence.

Its not like the Nazi officers were black. A black nun is a pretty minor issue. If anything I was surprised at how young she was.

In the spring I (Hispanic) was a geisha in Madama Butterfly. Our Butterfly was from Beijing, and my Hispanic daughter played her half-Japanese half-American son. We had a few black Japanese soldiers.

Sent from me.

 

[Imzadi]

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".

Exactly!

People are talking about this saying she can sing, but the acting was not good. Hello people! This was musical theatre - equal emphasis on both words. This wasn't a concert of all of them just standing in place. Carrie did try to act it. Operative word. Try. Didn't succeed.

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.

I also felt her voice was too low for the role.

It was a disservice to Broadway, too. I'd hate to see the statistics upcoming, and whether Broadway attendance goes down by tourists not attending as much as before this performance.

Last year, I attended a SAG Nominating Committee/Directors/Writers Guilds screening of Les Miserable. There was a Question & Answer session after the film with the director, Tom Hooper, and some of the cast of the film, (Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne (Marius), & Samantha Barks (Eponine).

Tom Hooper also said live theatre, not just Broadway, is actually an urban-centric thing. Many people around the world, and indeed, even in the sticks of the U.S. do not have live (community) theatre the way we do in the big cities. So for many, their first and only experience of Musical Theatre is from the movies or seen on TV.

I HATE the idea that many people will think THIS production of the Sound of Music is the level of acting and talent that Musical Theatre is capable of and what we have on Broadway.

I can just see the conversations:

Wife: Honey, should we see a Broadway show while we are in NYC?

Husband: How much are the tickets?

Wife: About $130 each for decent seats.

Husband: <grimacing> If it's going to be anything like Carrie Underwood in Sound of Music, let's do something else for 2 hours with that money.

She would have been great. But I agree with a PP who said that Carrie Underwood has the star power that the network was looking for to draw an audience.

I feel bad that Carrie is being ripped apart for this. This was her first acting gig and considering it was on live tv I think she did pretty good. The kids were fantastic as was Audra McDonald.

She's being ripped apart because she put herself out there before she was ready. She can't act her way out of a paper bag.

Consider the performances of: Audra Macdonald, Christian Borle and Laura Benanti. ALL in the same live TV performance. They were fabulous. All are Tony Award winners, who were properly trained to their levels.

Megan Hilty should have been cast as Maria.

Ooo! Megan would be good. I was thinking Kristin Chenowith, 15 years ago, would have hit this out of the ball park.

Even Anne Hathaway, although, she might also have a lower belt voice that is too low for the role, has a sweet, innocent quality, AND she can act.

Emmy Rossum, in about another 10 years could do it too.

 

[Imzadi]

Sorry, but if race isn't a factor in the plot of NAZI era Germany and Austria, then somebody is really missing something.

And, while Audra can really, really, sing...
Just personality and character wise... Also a huge miss and contrary to the plot and the character.

Again, I just hate it when these things just completely and totally insult one's intelligence.

Its not like the Nazi officers were black. A black nun is a pretty minor issue. If anything I was surprised at how young she was.

At the point in time of this story, the Nazis were just starting to infiltrate Austria. Capt. Von Trapp hasn't even been assigned a post yet. Perhaps they hadn't gotten around to err, "cleansing" the small abbey yet.

I too, was surprised how young the Reverend Mother was. When I watched Audra singing at the Rockefeller Center Christmas show the night before on TV, I thought she'd be in charactery makeup that would age her for Sound of Music.

 

[mjkacmom]

I watched this last night and tried to keep an open mind.

The original Sound of Music, IMHO, cannot be improved on.

Last night's performance was okay. Just okay. None of the performers in this version held a candle to the original cast.

Did I say I tried to keep an open mind?

TC

You saw the original cast? I believe this version was based more on the 1959 original Broadway production.