“Edelweiss, Edelweiss every Morning you Greet Me…”

The 20^th Century logo appears, the famous theme song plays, a few birds chirp, the alps appear, and suddenly Mary Poppins is singing. I hope you’ve guessed our next musical. The Sound of Music is known to many as a classic film that everyone must see. Mary Poppins, or Julie Andrews, played Maria Rainer while Christopher Plummer played the intimidating Captain von Trapp. In addition to those famous actors, another actress may be familiar. Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music was actually played by Marni Nixon, Audrey’s Hepburn’s singing voice in the movie version of My Fair Lady.

j             The Sound of Music is based on the true story of a young postulant struggling in the convent. She is sent to be the governess for Captain von Trapp’s seven children who have scared away dozens of governesses. Through music, love, and laughter, Maria brings the house back to life and eventually falls in love with the Captain right before the Nazi’s invade Austria. This courageous and caring woman actually existed. Most people are unaware of the true story of Maria. While she was in the process of becoming a nun, she was chosen to teach one of the ten von Trapp children. Eventually, she taught the children music and fell in love with all of them. Even though she married Georg, the Captain, she admits to not loving him.

            Another interesting fact about this movie is that Broadway is where the show originated. The musical Broadway version of this show starred Mary Martin as Maria Rainer and Theodore Bikel as Captain Georg von Trapp. The Broadway version had additional numbers that did not make the cut in the movie, such as "How Can Love Survive?" and "No Way to Stop it". The show aired on November 16, 1959 and ran over 1,000 times. The show did well until the movie premiered. The stage could not compete with real mountains, beautiful architecture, and intimacy created with lighting and camera angles. Mary Martin was not cast as Maria in the movie because the producers wanted a box office name. Luckily for Julie Andrews, she had just produced Mary Poppins and the initial casting fell through. Audrey Hepburn, or Eliza Doolittle, was offered the role but declined. In my opinion, no actress besides Julie Andrews will ever be Maria. Her perfect pitch leaves every listener satisfied and always takes me back to my childhood.

            In the near future, Carrie Underwood will be played Maria von Trapp in a special television version of The Sound of Music. I am quite skeptical about a country artist playing a nun in Salzburg, Austria. Maybe she will prove me wrong. Thanks for reading and as always, “It’s a grand night for singing!”

           

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