The Sound of Music Live

To compare the ITV British SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! production to the beloved (but still flawed) 1965 film is utter nonsense. It's like comparing apples and oranges, because they are two different media. Resources were available for the film that the stage production couldn't hope to utilize. More to the point, how does it compare to the NBC-TV 2013 Live production that starred Carrie Underwood?

The answer is that it's miles better! The production is excellent, and while I disagree with a few things (such as replacing "An Ordinary Couple" with "Something Good" and abridging a couple of the songs; hence the two stars off a ten-star rating), watching it was generally time very well spent. The cast was youthful and appealing, and - more to the point - everyone could actually act! The sugary sweetness of the show was, by-and-large, swept away.

The music was well-paced, and although I missed the original orchestrations, the ones used did no harm and didn't sound out of place. I have to admit that I hated the American version when it aired. Most fatally, Carrie Underwood, simply couldn't act, and the scenes dragged. No such problem here. I missed this when it was first broadcast by PBS in 2018, so I'm very happy that I happened to catch it last night.

An enthusiastic thumbs-up!.

I enjoyed the solid British style of this production and although I can see why Christopher Plummer's military bearing might not be matched in this version, it isn't a fair comparison to me. I found the sets and the singing, albeit not so polished as on film, far more immediately engaging and the 'live' feel came across really well. A great treat, found by chance on the itv hub from its broadcast in the final days of last year (2017) - a Sunday night jewel.

Like many other reviewers, I had seen the American live telecast that had come out around the same time first, and thought this one to be far better in many ways.

I wasn't sure what to expect but as a recent fan of Julian Ovenden and a lifelong fan of the Sound of Music, I wanted to give this a try regardless of my wariness about the format. It was indeed a pleasant surprise; the performances both in acting and what I assumed was live singing, were excellent across the board and there were also quite a few moments that really captured the magic of the original movie and stage show. My favorite moment has always been when the Captain joins in singing the Sound of Music with the children and they executed that scene here brilliantly. Even the cinematography is something to take note of in this production, for despite very limited sets, they managed to make the most of them and bring out some rather visually engaging shots.

Admittedly, if you're averse to remakes or have too fond of memories about the original, this will not be the TV movie for you. I think that besides the obvious and more warranted comparison to its contemporary, the American live movie from circa 2015, a fan should give this one a fair shot as its own production and allow the performances to speak for themselves.

To be fair as well, the pacing is probably the weakest point with some scenes and scene changes feeling awkward by at times either stalling or moving almost too quickly making the experience jarring. All in all, it probably makes for a great soundtrack if it exists and bonus: Leisl actually looks 16.

The book and score are closer to the original R&H version. "I Have Confidence" is missing but the movie song "Something Good" is added. Two minor original songs added and I can see why they were edited out of the movie. They point out how "shallow" the rich Capt. and Countess really were. Very well produced and directed UK "stage" version which was telecast there live in 2015. I do not (personally) like the 2 jarring real newsreel clips, but they are quite short and certainly get the point across that the real thing was no "romp in the park." British accents of course but that can't be helped. Great acting and singing performances from a cast that is (probably) unknown here in "The States". A few slightly off-key notes are expected in a truly live performance but this doesn't spoil a thing. Maria is "cast" a bit older than I expected. It's all 100% first-rate. 10 stars and 2 hankies. Shown on PBS' Great Performances series in November 2018. To those user reviewers that complain at the differences between between this and the popular movie, I suspect that they have not seen (many) live or taped performances of plays or musicals on stage. There is a huge difference between the two as a stage version can have only a few major set changes, and backdrops are usually painted but today may be digital.

Real facts: In truth, they traveled to the border at the end of their property and escaped by train to Italy. Therefore, they did not hike over the Swiss Alps. All the real children's names are different. "Edelweiss" is not an Austrian folk song! The real story only vaguely resembles this story and there are far too many differences to explain here. The "timeline" is totally different. There are several Internet articles that cover this subject. Also, look for "My Story" by Maria Von Trapp, published in 1949, for the true story.

I've loved "The Sound of Music" since I saw the movie when I was nine. Since then, I've seen several stage productions (both good and bad) along with seeing the movie countless times. With NBC's Live version in 2013, I was excited to see the story brought to life again but was left ultimately disappointed and wanting to forget it.

Then, I discovered that ITV had produced their own version and after seeing some clips online, I wanted to see more. In short, this is a wonderful production. The sets are so detailed (especially Maria's mountain and the family's garden) and unlike the NBC version, I never felt like I was watching actors in a studio. Kara Tointon is wonderful as Maria and was just a joy to watch. All of the kids were great too.

Granted, it's not an entirely perfect production (they only had one time to perform this after all), I didn't really care for the "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" scene, the dancing was boring and I thought Rolf was just an okay singer. There are some awkward camera angles and a moment where the camera stays on a Nazi officer who demands that the family sing before abruptly cutting to the festival. But these are all just minor things and didn't take away from my enjoyment of a new production of a familiar story. I loved it so much that I bought the DVD!