Sound of Music Live: The Hills are Alive?

Twas a balmy eve of December
And all across Wake Forest
All the students did remember
The Sound of Music chorus
They all turned on their TVs
Because everyone knew they should
Waiting for that famous girl to please,
Dreaming of Carrie Underwood.

Last night the world turned on their TVs at 8 p.m. to watch The Sound of Music Live, a 3-hour version of the classic set to premiere on live television. Millions tuned in to view NBC’s $9 million production, hopeful that they would get a reinvigorated version of the classic.

Unfortunately, that was not so. The sets were beautiful and the musical was filled with some very experienced Broadway veterans and actors. The children were adorable and Stephen Moyer’s signing wasn’t atrocious (surprise)! However, the show had one BIG problem…

Carrie Underwood.

Now, I won’t argue, the girl can belt out a song like the best of them (though I do believe that she does not have anywhere near the clear soprano of Julie Andrews). However, due to either nerves or an extreme lack of experience, her acting was horrific. Try as she might, her Oklahoma twang never really went away and her chemistry with leading man, Moyer, was inexistent. She was significantly outshined by other veterans of the stage, such as Audra McDonald, the head nun at the abbey. Unfortunately, such a production could have never garnered as much attention if it had cast a Broadway gal in the lead. Carrie Underwood brought in the viewers and the bucks, as hard as it is to say.

Underwood also seemed to have trouble managing such a performance. Though she has experience from her concerts and prior stage performances, she has no idea was it means to get through a Broadway experience of 2.5 hours. (Hence why it was easy to see her breathing heavy and losing energy at the end of all her songs).

Another disappointment of this production was that they audience got quite a different version from the 1965 movie we all know and love. Last night’s show was based on the musical, not the movie, which changed a few things when it first came out. We therefore lost a few songs, such as “I Have Confidence,” in addition to a mix-up of when the numbers are performed. The classic Sound of Music movie scene has Maria and the children singing “My Favorite Things” on her bed the night of the thunderstorm. However, this version had them singing “The Lonely Goatherd,” a song that comes later in the movie. And perhaps the biggest disappointment of all was that Liesl and Rolf did not sing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” in a gazebo. It was in the woods!!! The shame. Though this production was based on the musical, not the movie, it was a disappointment to see such big differences from the version everyone knows and loves.

Overall, I give this mighty effort a B-, due mostly to Underwood’s acting. All I got from it was that I can’t wait to watch the original and the untouchable Julie Andrews over winter break. 

*All images from NBC