| The Sound of Music | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway poster (1959) | |
| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Book | |
| Basis | The Story of the Trapp Family Singers byMaria von Trapp |
| Productions | |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Musical |
The Sound of Music is amusical with music byRichard Rodgers, lyrics byOscar Hammerstein II, and a book byHoward Lindsay andRussel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 bookThe Story of the Trapp Family Singers byMaria von Trapp. Set in Austria on the eve of theAnschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father,Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German Navy, but he opposesthe Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children. Many songs from the musical have becomestandards, including "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "Edelweiss", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", and the title song "The Sound of Music".
The originalBroadway production, starringMary Martin andTheodore Bikel, opened in 1959[1] and won fiveTony Awards, including Best Musical, out of nine nominations. The first London production opened at thePalace Theatre in 1961. The show has enjoyed numerous productions and revivals since then. It was adapted as a1965 film starringJulie Andrews andChristopher Plummer, which won fiveAcademy Awards, including Best Picture.The Sound of Music was the last musical written byRodgers and Hammerstein, as Oscar Hammerstein died of stomach cancer nine months after the Broadway premiere.
After viewingThe Trapp Family, a 1956West German film about theTrapp family, and its 1958 sequel (The Trapp Family in America), stage directorVincent J. Donehue thought that the project would be perfect for his friendMary Martin; Broadway producersLeland Hayward and Richard Halliday (Martin's husband) agreed.[2] The producers originally envisioned a non-musical play that would be written byLindsay and Crouse and that would feature songs from the repertoire of the Trapp Family Singers. Then they decided to add an original song or two, perhaps byRodgers and Hammerstein. But it was soon agreed that the project should feature all new songs and be a musical rather than a play.[3]
Details of the history of the von Trapp family were altered for the musical. The realGeorg von Trapp did live with his family in a villa inAigen, a suburb ofSalzburg. He wrote to theNonnberg Abbey in 1926 asking for a nun to help tutor his sick daughter, and theMother Abbess sentMaria. His wife,Agathe Whitehead, had died in 1922. The real Maria and Georg married at the Nonnberg Abbey in 1927. Lindsay and Crouse altered the story so that Maria was governess to all of the children, whose names and ages were changed, as was Maria's original surname (the show used "Rainer" instead of "Kutschera"). The von Trapps spent some years in Austria after Maria and the Captain married and he was offered a commission inGermany's navy. Since von Trapp opposed the Nazis by that time, the family left Austria after theAnschluss, going by train toItaly and then traveling on to London and the United States.[4] To make the story more dramatic, Lindsay and Crouse had the family, soon after Maria's and the Captain's wedding, escape over the mountains to Switzerland on foot.
InSalzburg,Federal State of Austria, just beforeWorld War II, nuns fromNonnberg Abbey sing theDixit Dominus. One of thepostulants, Maria Rainer, is on the nearby mountainside, regretting leaving the beautiful hills ("The Sound of Music"). She returns late to the abbey where the MotherAbbess and the other nuns have been considering what to do about the free-spirit ("Maria"). Maria explains her lateness, saying she was raised on that mountain, and apologizes for singing in the garden without permission. The Mother Abbess joins her in song ("My Favorite Things"). The Mother Abbess tells her that she should spend some time outside theabbey to decide whether she is suited for themonastic life. She will act as thegoverness to the seven children of a widower,Austro-Hungarian Navy submarine CaptainGeorg von Trapp.
Maria arrives at the villa of Captain von Trapp. He explains her duties and summons the children with aboatswain's call. They march in, clad in uniforms. He teaches her their individual signals on the call, but she openly disapproves of this militaristic approach. Alone with them, she breaks through their wariness and teaches them the basics of music ("Do-Re-Mi").
Rolf, a young messenger, delivers a telegram and then meets with the eldest child, Liesl, outside the villa. He claims he knows what is right for her because he is a year older than she ("Sixteen Going on Seventeen"). They kiss, and he runs off, leaving her squealing with joy. Meanwhile, the housekeeper, Frau Schmidt, gives Maria material to make new clothes, as Maria had given all her possessions to the poor. Maria sees Liesl slipping in through the window, wet from a sudden thunderstorm, but agrees to keep her secret. The other children are frightened by the storm. Maria sings "The Lonely Goatherd" to distract them.
Captain von Trapp arrives a month later fromVienna with Baroness Elsa Schraeder and Max Detweiler. Elsa tells Max that something is preventing the Captain from marrying her. He opines that only poor people have the time for great romances ("How Can Love Survive"). Rolf enters, looking for Liesl, and greets them with "Heil". The Captain orders him away, saying that he is Austrian, not German. Maria and the childrenleapfrog in, wearing play-clothes that she made from the old drapes in her room. Infuriated, the Captain sends them off to change. She tells him that the children need him to show his love for them, and he angrily orders her back to the abbey. As she apologizes, they hear the children singing "The Sound of Music", which she had taught them, to welcome Elsa Schraeder. He joins in and embraces them. Alone with Maria, he asks her to stay, thanking her for bringing music back into his house. Elsa is suspicious of her until she explains that she will be returning to the abbey in September.
The Captain gives a party to introduce Elsa, and guests argue over theAnschluss (the Nazi German annexation of Austria). Kurt asks Maria to teach him to dance theLändler. When he fails to negotiate a complicated figure, the Captain steps in to demonstrate. He and Maria dance until they come face-to-face; and she breaks away, embarrassed and confused. Discussing the expected marriage between Elsa and the Captain, Brigitta tells Maria that she thinks Maria and the Captain are really in love with each other. Elsa asks the Captain to allow the children to say goodnight to the guests with a song ("So Long, Farewell"). Max is amazed at their talent and wants them for the Kaltzburg Festival, which he is organizing. The guests leave for the dining room, and Maria slips out the front door with her luggage.
At the abbey, Maria says that she is ready to take hermonastic vows; but the Mother Abbess realizes that she is running away from her feelings. She tells her to face the Captain and discover if they love each other, and tells her to search for and find the life she was meant to live ("Climb Ev'ry Mountain").
Max teaches the children how to sing on stage. When the Captain tries to lead them, they complain that he is not doing it as Maria did. He tells them that he has asked Elsa to marry him. They try to cheer themselves up by singing "My Favorite Things" but are unsuccessful until they hear Maria singing on her way to rejoin them. Learning of the wedding plans, she decides to stay only until the Captain can arrange for another governess. Max and Elsa argue with the Captain about the imminentAnschluss, trying to convince him that it is inevitable ("No Way to Stop It"). When he refuses to compromise on his opposition to it, Elsa breaks off the engagement. Alone, the Captain and Maria finally admit their love, desiring only to be "An Ordinary Couple". As they marry, the nuns reprise "Maria" against the wedding processional.
While Maria and the Captain are on their honeymoon, Max prepares the children to perform at the Kaltzburg Festival. Herr Zeller, theGauleiter of the region, demands to know why they are not flying theFlag of Nazi Germany now that theAnschluss has occurred. The Captain and Maria return early from their honeymoon before the Festival. In view of the Nazi German occupation, the Captain decides the children should not sing at the event. Max argues that they would sing for Austria, but the Captain points out that it no longer exists. Maria and Liesl discuss romantic love; Maria predicts that in a few years Liesl will be married ("Sixteen Going on Seventeen (Reprise)"). Rolf enters with a telegram that offers the Captain a commission in theGerman Navy, and Liesl is upset to discover that Rolf is now a committedNazi. The Captain consults Maria and decides that they must secretly flee Austria. German Admiral von Schreiber arrives to find out why Captain von Trapp has not answered the telegram. He explains that the German Navy holds him in high regard, offers him the commission, and tells him to report immediately toBremerhaven to assume command. Maria says that he cannot leave immediately, as they are all singing in the Festival concert; and the Admiral agrees to wait.
At the concert, after the von Trapps sing an elaborate reprise of "Do-Re-Mi", Max brings out the Captain's guitar. Captain von Trapp sings "Edelweiss", as a goodbye to his homeland, while usingAustria's national flower as a symbol to declare his loyalty to the country. Max asks for an encore and announces that this is the von Trapp family's last chance to sing together, as the honor guard waits to escort the Captain to his new command. While the judges decide on the prizes, the von Trapps sing "So Long, Farewell" (reprise), leaving the stage in small groups. Max then announces the runners-up, stalling as much as possible. When he announces that the first prize goes to the von Trapps and they do not appear, theNazis start a search. The family hides at the Abbey, and Sister Margaretta tells them that the borders have been closed. Rolf comes upon them and calls his lieutenant, but after seeing Liesl he changes his mind and tells him they aren't there. The Nazis leave, and the von Trapps flee over theAlps as the nuns reprise "Climb Ev'ry Mountain".
|
|
| Character | Broadway | West End | West End revival | Broadway revival | West End revival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 1961 | 1981 | 1998 | 2006 | |
| Maria Rainer | Mary Martin | Jean Bayless | Petula Clark | Rebecca Luker | Connie Fisher |
| Captain Georg von Trapp | Theodore Bikel | Roger Dann | Michael Jayston | Michael Siberry | Alexander Hanson |
| The Mother Abbess | Patricia Neway | Constance Shacklock | June Bronhill | Patti Cohenour | Lesley Garrett |
| Baroness Elsa Schraeder | Marion Marlowe | Eunice Gayson | Honor Blackman | Jan Maxwell | Lauren Ward |
| Max Detweiler | Kurt Kasznar | Harold Kasket | John Bennett | Fred Applegate | Ian Gelder |
| Liesl von Trapp | Lauri Peters | Barbara Brown | Claire Parker | Sara Zelle | Sophie Bould |
| Rolf Gruber | Brian Davies | Nicholas Bennett | Paul Shearstone | Dashiell Eaves | Neil McDermott |
The Sound of Music premiered at New Haven'sShubert Theatre where it played an eight-performance tryout in October and November 1959 before another short tryout in Boston.[9] The musical then opened onBroadway at theLunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 16, 1959, moved to theMark Hellinger Theatre on November 6, 1962, and closed on June 15, 1963, after 1,443 performances. The director wasVincent J. Donehue, and the choreographer wasJoe Layton. The original cast includedMary Martin as Maria,Theodore Bikel as Captain Georg von Trapp,Patricia Neway as Mother Abbess,Kurt Kasznar as Max Detweiler,Marion Marlowe as Elsa Schraeder, Brian Davies as Rolf,Lauri Peters as Liesl andMuriel O'Malley as Sister Margaretta.Patricia Brooks,June Card andTatiana Troyanos were ensemble members in the original production. The show tied for theTony Award for Best Musical withFiorello!. Other awards included Martin for Best Actress in a Musical, Neway for Best Featured Actress, Best Scenic Design (Oliver Smith) and Best Conductor And Musical Director (Frederick Dvonch). Bikel and Kasznar were nominated for acting awards, and Donehue was nominated for his direction. The entire children's cast was nominated for Best Featured Actress category as a single nominee, even though two of the children were boys.[10]
Martha Wright replaced Martin in the role of Maria on Broadway in October 1961, followed by Karen Gantz in July 1962, Jeannie Carson in August 1962[11] andNancy Dussault in September 1962.Jon Voight, who later married co-star Lauri Peters, was a replacement for Rolf from September 1961 to June 1962.[12] The national tour starredFlorence Henderson as Maria andBeatrice Krebs as Mother Abbess. It opened at theGrand Riviera Theater, Detroit, on February 27, 1961, and closed November 23, 1963, at theO'Keefe Centre, Toronto. Henderson was succeeded by Barbara Meister in June 1962. Theodore Bikel was not satisfied playing the role of the Captain, and Bikel did not like to play the same role over and over again. In his autobiography, he writes: "I promised myself then that if I could afford it, I would never do a run as long as that again."[13]
The musical premiered in London'sWest End at thePalace Theatre on May 18, 1961, and ran for 2,385 performances. It was directed by Jerome Whyte and used the original New York choreography, supervised by Joe Layton, and the original sets designed by Oliver Smith. The cast includedJean Bayless as Maria, followed by Sonia Rees, Roger Dann as Captain von Trapp,Constance Shacklock as Mother Abbess,Eunice Gayson as Elsa Schraeder, Harold Kasket as Max Detweiler, Barbara Brown as Liesl, Nicholas Bennett as Rolf andOlive Gilbert as Sister Margaretta.[14][15]
In 1981, at producer Ross Taylor's urging,Petula Clark agreed to star in a revival of the show at theApollo Victoria Theatre inLondon'sWest End.Michael Jayston played Captain von Trapp,Honor Blackman was the Baroness andJune Bronhill played the Mother Abbess. Other notable cast members includedHelen Anker,John Bennett andMartina Grant.[16] Despite her misgivings that, at age 49, she was too old to play the role convincingly, Clark opened to unanimous rave reviews and the largest advance sale in the history of British theatre at that time. Maria von Trapp, who attended the opening night performance, described Clark as "the best" Maria ever. Clark extended her initial six-month contract to thirteen months. Playing to 101 percent ofseating capacity, the show set the highest attendance figure for a single week (October 26–31, 1981) of any British musical production in history (as recorded inThe Guinness Book of Theatre).[17][18] It was the first stage production to incorporate the two additional songs ("Something Good" and "I Have Confidence") that Richard Rodgers composed for the film version.[19] "My Favorite Things" had a similar context to the film version, while the short verse "A Bell is No Bell" was extended into a full-length song for Maria and the Mother Abbess. "The Lonely Goatherd" was set in a new scene at a village fair.
DirectorSusan H. Schulman staged the first Broadway revival ofThe Sound of Music, withRebecca Luker as Maria andMichael Siberry as Captain von Trapp. It also featuredPatti Cohenour as Mother Abbess,Jan Maxwell as Elsa Schraeder,Fred Applegate as Max Detweiler,Dashiell Eaves as Rolf,Patricia Conolly as Frau Schmidt andLaura Benanti, in her Broadway debut, as Luker'sunderstudy. Later, Luker and Siberry were replaced byRichard Chamberlain as the Captain and Benanti as Maria.Lou Taylor Pucci made his Broadway debut as the understudy for Kurt von Trapp. The production opened on March 12, 1998, at theMartin Beck Theatre, and closed on June 20, 1999, after 533 performances. This production was nominated for aTony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.[20] It then toured in North America.
AnAndrew Lloyd Webber production opened on November 15, 2006, at theLondon Palladium, produced by Live Nation'sDavid Ian andJeremy Sams. Following failed negotiations with Hollywood starScarlett Johansson,[21] the role of Maria was cast through a UK talent search reality TV show calledHow Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? The talent show was produced by (and featured) Andrew Lloyd Webber and also featured presenter/comedianGraham Norton and a judging panel ofDavid Ian,John Barrowman andZoë Tyler.
Connie Fisher was selected by public voting as the winner of the show. In early 2007, Fisher suffered from a heavy cold that prevented her from performing for two weeks. To prevent further disruptions, an alternate Maria,Aoife Mulholland, a fellow contestant onHow Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?, played Maria on Monday evenings and Wednesday matinee performances.Simon Shepherd was originally cast as Captain von Trapp, but after two preview performances he was withdrawn from the production, andAlexander Hanson moved into the role in time for the official opening date along withLesley Garrett as the Mother Abbess. After Garrett left,Margaret Preece took the role. The cast also featuredLauren Ward as the Baroness,Ian Gelder as Max,Sophie Bould as Liesl, andNeil McDermott as Rolf. Other notable replacements includedSimon Burke andSimon MacCorkindale as the Captain and newcomer Amy Lennox as Liesl.Summer Strallen replaced Fisher in February 2008,[22] with Mulholland playing Maria on Monday evenings and Wednesday matinees.[23] The revival received enthusiastic reviews, especially for Fisher, Preece, Bould and Garrett.[24] The production closed on February 21, 2009, after a run of over two years[25] and was followed by a UK national tour, described below.
A UK tour began in 2009 and visited more than two dozen cities before ending in 2011. The original cast includedConnie Fisher as Maria,Michael Praed as Captain von Trapp andMargaret Preece as the Mother Abbess. Kirsty Malpass was the alternate Maria.[26]Jason Donovan assumed the role of Captain Von Trapp, andVerity Rushworth took over as Maria, in early 2011.Lesley Garrett reprised her role as Mother Abbess for the tour's final engagement inWimbledon in October 2011.
Another UK tour, produced byBill Kenwright, began in 2015 and toured into 2016. It was directed byMartin Connor and starredLucy O'Byrne as Maria.[27][28]
A North American tour, directed byJack O'Brien and choreographed by Danny Mefford, began at theAhmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in September 2015. The tour ran until July 2017.[29]Kerstin Anderson played Maria, withBen Davis as Capt. von Trapp andAshley Brown as Mother Abbess. The production received warm reviews.[30]
A North American tour began in September 2025. The production is directed byJack O'Brien, with choreography by Danny Mefford. The cast is led byCayleigh Capaldi as Maria,Kevin Earley as Captain von Trapp,Christiane Noll as Mother Abbess, Nicholas Rodriguez as Max, Kate Loprest as the baroness, Ariana Ferch as Liesl andIan Coursey as Rolf.[31]
The first Australian production opened atMelbourne'sPrincess Theatre in 1961 and ran for three years. The production was directed by Charles Hickman, with musical numbers staged by Ernest Parham. The cast includedJune Bronhill as Maria,Peter Graves as Captain von Trapp andRosina Raisbeck as Mother Abbess. A touring company then played for years, with Vanessa Lee (Graves' wife) in the role of Maria.[citation needed]
In 1988, the Moon Troupe ofTakarazuka Revue performed the musical at the Bow Hall (Takarazuka,Hyōgo). Harukaze Hitomi and Gou Mayuka starred.[32] A 1990New York City Opera production, directed byOscar Hammerstein II's son, James, featuredDebby Boone as Maria,Laurence Guittard as Captain von Trapp, andWerner Klemperer as Max.[33]
An Australian revival played in the Lyric Theatre,Sydney, New South Wales, from November 1999 to February 2000.Lisa McCune played Maria,John Waters was Captain von Trapp,Bert Newton was Max,Eilene Hannan was Mother Abbess andRachel Marley was Marta. This production was based on the 1998 Broadway revival staging.[34] The production then toured until February 2001, in Melbourne,Brisbane,Perth andAdelaide.Rachael Beck took over as Maria in Perth and Adelaide, andRob Guest took over as Captain von Trapp in Perth.[35][36][37][38]
An Austrian production premiered in 2005 at theVolksoper Wien in German. It was directed and choreographed by Renaud Doucet. The cast included Sandra Pires as Maria, Kurt Schreibmayer and Michael Kraus as von Trapp, withHeidi Brunner as Mother Abbess. The song "Do-Re-Mi" was rewritten as "C wie Cellophanpapier", replacing the solfège syllables with the German letter notation C through H and selecting mnemonics that begin with each letter.[39] The production is still in the repertoire of the Volksoper with performances each season; performances are scheduled for 2024.[40][41][42]
TheSalzburg Marionette Theatre has toured extensively with their version that features the recorded voices of Broadway singers such asChristiane Noll as Maria.[43] The tour began inDallas, Texas, in 2007[44] and continued in Salzburg in 2008.[45] The director isRichard Hamburger.[46] In 2008, a Brazilian production with Kiara Sasso as Maria and Herson Capri as the Captain played inRio de Janeiro andSão Paulo,[47] and a Dutch production was mounted with Wieneke Remmers as Maria, directed by John Yost.[48]
Andrew Lloyd Webber,David Ian andDavid Mirvish presentedThe Sound of Music at thePrincess of Wales Theatre in Toronto from 2008 to 2010. The role of Maria was chosen by the public through a television show,How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, which was produced by Lloyd Webber and Ian and aired in mid-2008.Elicia MacKenzie won[49] and played the role six times a week, while the runner-up in the TV show, Janna Polzin, played Maria twice a week.[50] Captain von Trapp was played byBurke Moses. The show ran for more than 500 performances. It was Toronto's longest running revival ever.[51]
A production ran at the Ópera-Citi theater inBuenos Aires, Argentina in 2011. The cast included Laura Conforte as Maria and Diego Ramos as Captain Von Trapp.[52] A Spanish national tour began in November 2011 at theAuditorio de Tenerife inSanta Cruz de Tenerife in theCanary Islands. The tour visited 29 Spanish cities, spending one year inMadrid'sGran Vía at the Teatro Coliseum, and one season at the Tívoli Theatre inBarcelona. It was directed by Jaime Azpilicueta and starred Silvia Luchetti as Maria and Carlos J. Benito as Captain Von Trapp.[53]
A production was mounted at theOpen Air Theatre, Regent's Park from July to September 2013.[54][55] It starred Charlotte Wakefield as Maria, with Michael Xavier as Captain von Trapp andCaroline Keiff as Elsa.[54] It received enthusiastic reviews and became the highest-grossing production ever at the theatre.[54] In 2014, the show was nominated for Best Musical Revival at theLaurence Olivier Awards and Wakefield was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical.[56]
A brief South Korean production played in 2014[57] The same year, a Spanish language translation opened at Teatro de la Universidad in San Juan, under the direction of Edgar García. It starredLourdes Robles as Maria andBraulio Castillo as Captain Von Trapp, withDagmar as Elsa.[58] A production (in Thai:มนต์รักเพลงสวรรค์) ran at Muangthai ratchadalai Theatre,Bangkok, Thailand, in April 2015 in the Thai language. The production replaced the song "Ordinary couple" with "Something Good".[59][60][61]
A 2016 Australian tour of the Lloyd Webber production, directed by Sams, included stops in Sydney,[62] Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. The cast includedAmy Lehpamer as Maria,Cameron Daddo as Captain Von Trapp,Marina Prior as Baroness Schraeder andLorraine Bayly as Frau Schmidt. The choreographer wasArlene Phillips.[63]
On March 2, 1965,20th Century Fox released afilm adaptation starringJulie Andrews as Maria Rainer andChristopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp. It was produced and directed byRobert Wise with the screenplay adaptation written byErnest Lehman. Two songs were written by Rodgers specifically for the film, "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good". The film won five Oscars at the38th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Alive televised production aired twice in December 2013 onNBC.[64] It was directed byBeth McCarthy-Miller andRob Ashford.[65]Carrie Underwood starred as Maria, withStephen Moyer as Captain von Trapp,Christian Borle as Max,Laura Benanti as Elsa, andAudra McDonald as the Mother Abbess.[66] The production was released on DVD the same month.[67]
British networkITV presented alive version of its own on December 20, 2015. It starredKara Tointon as Maria,Julian Ovenden as Captain von Trapp,Katherine Kelly as the Baroness andAlexander Armstrong as Max.[68][69]
Most reviews of the original Broadway production were favorable.Richard Watts Jr. of theNew York Post stated that the show had "strangely gentle charm that is wonderfully endearing.The Sound of Music strives for nothing in the way of smash effects, substituting instead a kind of gracious and unpretentious simplicity."[70] TheNew York World-Telegram and Sun pronouncedThe Sound of Music "the loveliest musical imaginable. It places Rodgers and Hammerstein back in top form as melodist and lyricist. The Lindsay-Crouse dialogue is vibrant and amusing in a plot that rises to genuine excitement."[70] TheNew York Journal American's review opined thatThe Sound of Music is "the most mature product of the team ... it seemed to me to be the full ripening of these two extraordinary talents".[70]
Brooks Atkinson ofThe New York Times gave a mixed assessment. He praised Mary Martin's performance, saying "she still has the same common touch ... same sharp features, goodwill, and glowing personality that makes music sound intimate and familiar" and stated that "the best of theSound of Music is Rodgers and Hammerstein in good form". However, he said, the libretto "has the hackneyed look of the musical theatre replaced withOklahoma! in 1943. It is disappointing to see the American musical stage succumbing to the clichés ofoperetta."[70]Walter Kerr's review in theNew York Herald Tribune was unfavorable: "BeforeThe Sound of Music is halfway through its promising chores it becomes not only too sweet for words but almost too sweet for music", stating that the "evening suffer[s] from little children".[70]
Columbia Masterworks recorded the original Broadway cast album at theColumbia 30th Street Studio in New York City a week after the show's 1959 opening. The album was the label's first deluxe package in a gatefold jacket, priced $1 higher than previous cast albums. It was No. 1 onBillboard's best-selling albums chart for 16 weeks in 1960.[71] It was released on CD from Sony in the Columbia Broadway Masterworks series.[72] In 1959, singerPatti Page recordedthe title song from the show forMercury Records[73] on the day that the musical opened on Broadway. The 1961 London production was recorded byEMI and released on theHis Master's Voice label, and later re-issued on CD in 1997, on the Broadway Angel label.[74] The 1961 Australian cast recorording was the first time a major overseas production featuring Australian artists was transferred to disc.[75][76]
The 1965 film soundtrack was released byRCA Victor and is one of the most successful soundtrack albums in history, having sold over 20 million copies worldwide.[77][78]RCA Victor also released an album of the 1998Broadway revival produced byHallmark Entertainment and featuring the full revival cast, includingRebecca Luker,Michael Siberry,Jan Maxwell andFred Applegate.[79] TheTelarc label made a studio cast recording ofThe Sound of Music, with theCincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted byErich Kunzel (1987). The lead roles went to opera stars:Frederica von Stade as Maria,Håkan Hagegård as Captain von Trapp, andEileen Farrell as the Mother Abbess.[19] The recording "includes both the two new songs written for the film version and the three Broadway songs they replace, as well as a previously unrecorded verse of "An Ordinary Couple"".[80] The 2006 London revival was recorded and has been released on theDecca Broadway label.[81] There have been numerous studio cast albums and foreign cast albums issued, though many have only received regional distribution. According to the cast album database, there are 62 recordings of the score that have been issued over the years.[82]
The cast recording of the 1981 West End production was the first to be recorded digitally.[citation needed] It was released on CD for the first time in 2010 by the UK label Pet Sounds and included two bonus tracks from the original single issued byEpic to promote the production.[citation needed] A recording of the 2006 London Palladium cast was released.[24] Thesoundtrack from the 2013 NBC television production starringCarrie Underwood andStephen Moyer was released on CD and digital download in December 2013 on theSony Masterworks label. Also featured on the album areAudra McDonald,Laura Benanti andChristian Borle.[83]
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Won | |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Mary Martin | Won | ||
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Theodore Bikel | Nominated | ||
| Kurt Kasznar | Nominated | |||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Patricia Neway | Won | ||
| Kathy Dunn,Lauri Peters, Mary Susan Locke, Marilyn Rogers, Evanna Lien, William Snowden, and Joseph Stewart | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Vincent J. Donehue | Nominated | ||
| Best Conductor and Musical Director | Frederick Dvonch | Won | ||
| Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Oliver Smith | Won | ||
| Theatre World Award | Lauri Peters | Won | ||
| 1967 | Outer Critics Circle | Special Award | Constance Towers | Won |
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tony Award | Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Orchestrations | Bruce Coughlin | Nominated | |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Rebecca Luker | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Jan Maxwell | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Set Design | Heidi Ettinger | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Production of a Revival | Nominated | ||
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