The Sound of Music Live!

[DramatistDreamer]

Did anyone watch?

I tried but after about 30-40 (most of the time, honestly, I felt myself critiquing), I kind of checked out. And when I heard the announcement about Nelson Mandela's passing, causing my to think a lot about some personal family dynamics, I was really no longer in the mood to watch.

I did see that Joe West, the son of ATWT alums, Maura West and Scott DeFreitas played one of the von Trap children. The children were fine but the casting for Maria and Captain von Trap was meh. I don't know maybe I'll watch it online sometime this weekend to see if it improved along the way (although, this takes away from the Live! aspect of things, I know).

Any thoughts?

[Ann_SS]

I read so many glowing reviews of Audra McDonald's performance of "Climb Every Mountion" that I watched the clip online. What a beautifully moving performance! She has a wonderful voice.

[EricMontreal22]

I thought it was... OK. I agree Stephen and Carrie were meh, not bad exactly but had little chemistry--although both picked up whenever they were performing with stage vets like Christian Borle, Laura Benanti and Audra.

Let's face it, The Sound of Music is the weakest of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "big five" shows (Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, King and I and SOM.) I actually was glad they used the stage script which is slightly less treacly (and I like the songs the captatin sings with Ma and Elsa that were cut from the movie.) They were wise however to replace the dreary stage song An ordinary Couple with the movie song Something Good. So overall, I enjoyed it, but I'm a big musical theatre geek--but it was hardly revelatory or amazing.

[DRW50]

I've always felt like most of the appeal of SOM was Julie Andrews. It didn't have a ton of success before she was involved, and she's the main thing people remember from it. I remember Pauline Kael criticizing Andrews as a machine who basically did everything with utter perfection in the film - she said Andrews and Plummer had so little chemistry, but not to worry, Andrews made love to herself.

I was going to watch, but I was taping about three things for various people and didn't have room.

I feel a little sorry for Carrie Underwood, because she's not an actress, and that's a tough role to take on. And she was surrounded by people who were, other than Stephen Moyer (whom I remember mostly for having a nice ass, and having the True Blood role a lot of people seem to hate), going to upstage her at every turn. I hope she got some good money out of this because it will probably hurt her career even as it helps most of the others involved.

I'm glad to hear it got such big ratings. I want to see more musicals on TV. I don't mean "hip" sneering musical numbers like Glee, or like Katherine McPhee-polluted Smash. I just mean classic musicals that show the average viewer how much of a thrill you can get out of great singing and dancing.

Very happy for Audra McDonald too.

[EricMontreal22]

I love Julie Andrews--and I admit a big part of the film's appeal is the setting and her. But to say it wasn't a success before her is crazy. It was a MASSIVE success on Broadway with a way too old Mary Martin (who came up with the conception to do the musical in the first place and got a huge chunk of the film's profits due to her smart contract,) and was an even bigger hit in London running five years or so in both places--before the film opened. Obviously the filmhas eclipsed that, but part of that is inevitable just because theatre is so ephemeral. And Kael hated musicals in general (though Sound of Music of course is the kind of show that on stage and screen critics never liked as much as audiences.) I love reading her reviews even though I often disagree with her.

Moyer was OK I felt, I've seen him on stage in London where he was very good, but the Captain is not a showy role and certainly he brought nothing to it.

I agree with your final point. While they played up the "it's LIVE!" gimmick way way too much, and they did stunt cast Carrie, I appreciate that the actual musical wasn't done with any cynicism or post modern element--they trusted the material (no matter how creaky parts of it are--SOM is notably the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that Hammerstein didn't write the book for as well as the lyrics--Crouse and Russell did the decent but kinda hack-team behind big hit plays of the time like I Remember Mama.)

[DRW50]

I think Kael enjoyed musicals, just not a lot of what Hollywood had to offer for musicals, especially after the 30s and 40s. She loved Streisand in Funny Girl, I believe. She once said she didn't know why Hollywood had never put Aretha in a musical, why Jimi, Janis, etc. weren't in them (this was before they died). I think that there were obvious reasons why Jimi and Janis weren't, but I did agree with her about Aretha.

You're right, I underrated SOM's success, but I get the feeling most of that was built on Mary Martin, not the product itself.

[DRW50]

All the breathless media focus on who is making what vile comment on Twitter ignores that many people are tired of forced cynicism as a default, and want more. I hope the show's success might teach TV that, along with the increasingly low returns for that type of material in TV and film.

[EricMontreal22]

I dunno, Mary didn't do SOM in London, where it was a bigger hit. The songs became something of instant classics (My Favorite Things especially.) And of course the show infamously won the Tony (tied with the now forgotten Fiorello) over Gypsy, something that drives musical theatre geeks crazy since Gypsy is now largely aknowledged as the greatest "traditional" book musical written in terms of structure.

[P.J.]

I taped & watched, but mostly (okay, ONLY...because Maura's son Joe and Michael Park were in it.) I've never watched the Sound of Music movie. I thought it was okay...but nothing dazzling. I admire the fact it was done live, but felt that it dragged. Every time nuns gathered or adults, I started zipping through it. I thought Michael looked handsome, and Laura Benwhooie impressed (since I've seen her play a drip on Go On and a bitch on Royal Pains)...but I just cringe at the guy from Smash and Underwood was underwhelming, if not as bad as I feared she could have been.

[EricMontreal22]

The New Yorker really liked Joe West... http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/12/the-sound-of-music-and-the-anticipation-trap.html?mobify=0

[soapfave06]

I watched the first hour and a half, I'm going to finish the rest later but so far I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Audra McDonald was freaking amazing. I hope she has a few more stand out scenes towards the end.

[quartermainefan]

The lack of an audience I think had to have hurt the show. There are moments where perhaps there is an intended laugh, or some sort of cute moment or some sort of crowd pleasing moment and there was no crowd. I saw the Do Re Mi clip on NBC.com and when it is over you expect applause and you got nothing.

A few years back PBS televised South Pacific from Lincoln Center and it was fine, and the audience really helps the show, and no doubt the actors. To whoever said Aretha Franklin should do a musical, that sounds dreadful. Aretha has a tremendous voice but she never met a song she couldn't change or slow down to showcase her singing ability. The reason why R&H musicals stand the test of time are the songs, songs you can hum instantly if not sing along, by the time Aretha gets through changing the title song into a 10 minute hymn it just isn't going to be the same.

Carrie Underwood is no Julie Andrews, but then again no one ever was. She can't hit the notes Julie could and her limited range sort of diminished the title song. It was also a little jarring hearing her pronunciations of words we know in our heads how Julie sang them. Her Rs are particular pronounced in spots, and the way she said "Laugh" in the title song was jarring. That said, she did good enough but I think even the most accomplished country singer could do with a few musical theater lessons or acting lessons.

[quartermainefan]

Anyway this is Mary Martin, who was born in Texas, and she pronounces every word exquisitely.  Underwood not so much.

 

[LeClerc]

I had no idea this was on but the soap opera-ish production values in primetime immediately caught my attention as I was flipping through channels.

Did anyone else notice John Bolger (who was one of the Nazis who dropped by after the Captain and Maria returned from their honeymoon) seemed to forget his lines, causing a brief moment of confusion?

[Soapsuds]

It scored big in the ratings. Winning the entire night for NBC. It even beat TBBT.

8 p.m.

NBC: Special - "The Sound of Music Live" (17.6 million viewers, 10.2/16 households)
CBS: "The Big Bang Theory" (15.3 million, 9.3/15)/"The Millers" (9.4 million, 5.9/9)
FOX: "The X Factor" (4.8 million, 2.9/5)
ABC: "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" (3.6 million, 2.4/4)
The CW: "The Vampire Diaries" (2.25 million, 1.5/2)

18-49 leader: "The Sound of Music Live" (4.7)

9 p.m.

NBC: "The Sound of Music Live" (19.3 million, 10.9/16)
CBS: "The Crazy Ones" (7.7 million, 4.9/7)/"Two and a Half Men" (8.3 million, 5.3/8)
ABC: "Grey's Anatomy" (7.5 million, 5.0/8)
FOX: "Glee" (3.2 million, 2.1/3)
The CW: "Reign" (1.65 million, 1.1/2)

18-49 leader: "The Sound of Music Live" (4.8)

10 p.m.

NBC: "The Sound of Music Live" (17.5 million, 10.1/16)
ABC: "Scandal" (8.6 million, 5.8/9)
CBS: "Elementary" (8.2 million, 5.3/8)

18-49 leader: "The Sound of Music Live" (4.3)