It seems like you’ve been seeing the commercials on virtually every channel. Even if you never saw the original (although how that could be possible I have absolutely no idea), you know that somewhere during the musical, the main character will sing a song that has the words these are a few of my favorite thiiiiings! in it. And last night, the wait was finally over. NBC finally aired The Sound of Music live for us all to see. I for one would just like to say; I want those three hours of my life back.
Carrie Underwood is a great singer, no one can dispute that. She won us all over with that voice along with her country girl charm back in 2005 when she won the 4th season of American Idol. But the girl certainly isn’t an actress by any means, and it shows. Don’t get me wrong, kudos to the girl for stepping out of her comfort zone and trying something new. Theatre is much harder than film (I’d know, I’ve done my fair share of competing). Add live TV to the mix and you’re already dealing with a recipe for disaster. But perhaps this wasn’t the best scenario for her to make her debut.
Granted, the telecast was supposed to be a remake of the Broadway musical and not the movie. But come on – What do you think of when you hear that title? If you’re even remotely close in age to me (although as far as I’m concerned it’s a timeless musical). your mind immediately reverts to the comfort of being an innocent child, spending time with your family (in my case, my grandmother) on the couch cuddled up listening to Julie Andrews sing those songs in that way only she can. She had the presence to play Maria. You believed she was Maria. She left you wanting more when the movie was over. All Underwood left us (me, anyway) was wishing they had cast someone else in the role.
Even Kym Karath and Charmian Carr, who played Gretl and Liesl Von Trapp in the original, didn’t think the special lived up to all the hype. The pair met up last night to watch it together, but their excitement about the revamp didn’t last long. Kym took to Twitter to let us know how she felt in 140 characters or less, stating:
“Mystified & disappointed so far by SOM special. So far only happy with Stephen Moyer“… “Must admit some scenes are actually painful to watch.”
What did you think of the special – Did Carrie do a good job? Let us know what you think in the comments!
