VividSimon Simply Perfect

Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Ratu Jade I would say that the actors at least tried to do their best. Sometimes I can hear them singing not in musical theater style, but sometimes off a bit country and something else. Captain Von Trapp looks to young to be a retired captain (and captains usually have big shoulder as experience swimmers). Sorry, although his real age may be close enough, but his appearance more like a cadet.But the most annoying is the cast of Mother Abbess. The head nun is usually the most senior, among the oldest of the nuns. Not just that, I think both look and personality are closer to type to the rebellious nun at sister act, which was why the movie Sister Act was funny (unless they never watch nor understand).Plus, how many African decent nuns lived in Austria in 1940's?Even to these days, most African descents go to Pentecostal church, which is very opposite in style to Catholic. It's like mixing between the two middle east opposite religions, the Jewish and the Arabic, although both came from Abraham.Well, I wish to know the casting company. Perhaps someday they would cast an Asian female playing Jesus...

TheLittleSongbird To me, this production did have serious problems other than any mistakes that can happen live or on opening nights, things small or major always happen in live performance and opening nights and as a singer and performer I took that into account. This production did have a big task to do, take on a well-known musical that is one of the best ever written and not an easy one to take on either and do it live, while I didn't care for it the effort is commendable.Why see it in the first place? My love for The Sound of Music(stage musical and the timeless 1965 film) is the biggest reason but also it was to see whether it was the performance-with-no-redeeming-qualities that it was described as by viewers of this year's Peter Pan Live. Is a performance with no redeeming qualities? Not to this viewer. The songs are of course amazing, one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best scores and the orchestra play it most beautifully and with stylish energy, something that you wish was matched by what was happening on stage. The costumes are nice on the eye, accurate to period and like you would expect costumes for a production of The Sound of Music to look. And there are a few good performances here, two of them great even. Those two performances belonged to Laura Benanti and especially Audra McDonald. Benanti could easily have made Elsa one-dimensional but she actually does a lot with the character and makes her interesting and likable. McDonald's Mother Abbess is quite easily the best performance of the production, dramatically she gives a very strong and warm-hearted performance and the best voice of the cast by far belongs to her. Her Climb Every Mountain was the only real time here that made me really sit up or gave any emotional impact, it is magnificently sung and a huge improvement on the rendition given in the 1965 film. Christian Borle is good too, playing Max very charmingly indeed.Sadly most of the performances don't work. The children are not as prominent here and don't always look very involved, the singing is okay but there was clearly not as much detail to the acting as to the music and the children aren't exceptions, Sophia Ann Caruso was pretty good actually as Brigitta but for examples Ariane Rinehart is rather stiff as Liesel(particularly in Sixteen Going On Seventeen, Michael Campayno matches her as an even stiffer and a too-old Rolf) and Peyton Ella is not quite cute enough for Gretl. A lot of the supporting roles are very amateurishly played, let down by the lack of stage direction. But it's the two leads that disappoint the most. Stephen Moyer's singing is pretty much tuneless and devoid of passion or nuance- while Christopher Plummer in the film didn't have the most exceptional of voices either there was an intimacy to his singing that Moyer's lacked- and unfortunately his acting is just as bad, the captain is literally remote and without feeling here(like when the Captain has a change of heart there wasn't that huge amount of difference seemingly).As much as this is going to sound like "bandwagon jumping", I am in agreement with those who found that Carrie Underwood didn't work as Maria, though she does deserve a lot of credit for trying. There is no denying Underwood can sing, there is evidence of beautiful tone here and she has the notes and such right but there is a tendency for a belting quality to come through that can sound harsh and it just doesn't sound right for the role(this is meant as judging her on her own merits and with no vocal stereotyping) and there definitely could have been more dynamic range. Her acting is where she largely fails, she is very wooden in the early half of the production and never did come over naturally in personal opinion throughout the production, singing and saying her lines with not a huge amount of emotion or understanding what she's singing about(strange because she brings those qualities singing country, put it down to inexperience maybe). She and Moyer's chemistry never shows much spark, even in their lovely but staid duet together, but the stage direction doesn't give them any favours. The staging, with the exception of Climb Every Mountain, very rarely comes alive, the only convincing chemistry is between Elsa and Max and there are numerous times where the actors don't look sure what to do or how to deliver a line, which means we never get to know or care for the characters even when knowing the music and story inside out. The production also makes the mistake of down-playing the Nazi's role in the story, which dilutes the tension present in the second half of the story. So when the staging doesn't come alive, despite being more laudably faithful structurally and in song-placement to the stage musical than the film, neither does the story. Visually, the production is not a very appealing one outside of the costumes and the camera work was alright(better than in Peter Pan Live) if never exceptional. The sets really could have done with more scope and colour, instead looking very plain and sound-stage-like, while the lighting also could have been bolder. The lack of a live audience hurt the production somewhat, it would have made the performance more exciting maybe and somehow it didn't feel like a live production. Lastly, the audio is not very good, at some points in the production it is close to awful, it often favours the orchestra to the extent that you can't hear much else and some of the singing due to the lack of balance sounded a touch distant.Overall, not as bad as reputed to be because it does have some bright spots(particularly McDonald) but considering the source material this was disappointingly mediocre. 4/10 Bethany Cox

phd_travel This was painful to watch and even worse than it should have been. I was open to seeing a TV version of the actual Broadway show as opposed to a remake of the movie. At first it was interesting to see the different songs, order of songs and dialog compared to the movie. Of course I knew things would suffer without the scenery and better costumes and sets. But the acting and casting was bad and the production felt cheap with ugly costumes and orange lighting.The casting is all wrong. As Maria, Carrie Underwood lacks a Broadway range in her voice - she comes across as strident and lacking in sweetness when required. But the worst thing is her blank expression throughout. She simply isn't an actress. I know it's unfair to compare her to Julie Andrews but Carrie is just too inadequate an actress. Steven Moyer as Captain Von Trapp lacks both dignity and kindness. The Broadway supporting cast sing well. Audra McDonald as Mother Superior has a great voice. The Von Trapp children especially the younger girls weren't cute compared to the movie ones. Strange choice to make them mostly dark haired. Rolf was too old looking.They got to stop doing these terrible versions. First South Pacific then The Sound of Music. Don't' bother to watch these since the original movies were perfect.

TallBlond AndVeryHot Carrie Underwood does a very credible job as Maria, and the kids are all pretty good. Stephen Moyer is also pretty good as the captain.Keeping in mind this was a live production and will be released on DVD/Bluray, I think all the cast members are to be commended. All in all, this version is well worth your time (and money, if you buy a disk.)The story was true to the movie, and the sets were very nicely built and displayed. This was quite a production- hard to believe the studio would take a risk like this, but it really paid off. We will have a Bluray as soon as they are available.The only down side to the TSOM 2013 is the complete lack of class shown by some of the 1965 version cast members. Their tweets and comments about Underwood after the live telecast were out of line and unnecessary, and demonstrated a marked lack of class. That is surprising coming from people of their age, and for me, they taint my happy memories of each. As a result, I will archive the 1965 version and watch Carrie Underwood instead- TSOM 2013 will be the version seen by my children. It is a worthy successor.