NBC sure knows how to make themselves look like the black sheep of the family. As one of the lowest rated networks, NBC has decided to recreate the Broadway production of The Sound of Music , starring Grammy winner and country singer Carrie Underwood.
On a riff of the three-hour Broadway play, NBC has announced that it plans to air a part by part recreation of The Sound of Music . Not to be confused with the film adaptation starring Julie Andrews, this Sound of Music strives to recreate the dynamic stage version, which starred Mary Martin as Maria von Trapp.
In addition to Carrie Underwood, NBC has announced that they have added Broadway veterans like Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti, and Christian Borle. Audra will play Mother Abbess, Borle will play von Trapp’s family friend Max Detweiler, and Bananti will portray Elsa Schrader, the Captain’s ex fiancée.
This leaves the question of who is playing Captain Georg von Trapp. NBC has revealed that Stephen Moyer will be portraying the stern captain, who rules the roost of the von Trapp family.
As for Carrie Underwood’s casting, it’s a bit of difficult thing to pin down. Underwood has the look down, but will her distinct country voice capture the Broadway vocals that are needed to portray Maria convincingly? There’s only one way to truly find out.
Although this version of The Sound of Music has nothing to do with the 1965 film that made Julie Andrews a household name, the comparisons are inevitable. It looks like NBC is willing to deal with those comparisons, or are at least looking to relate the audience to what they already know. NBC has released a poster of Carrie Underwood, which practically mirrors the iconic pose that Andrews takes on as she sings “The Hills Are Alive.”
NBC’s musical adaptation of The Sound of Music will air live on December 5, at 8 pm est.
