The New Version
The Sound of Music Live is an NBC television special starring the incredible Carrie Underwood in the role of Maria. The show was filmed live in Bethpage, New York in front of a studio audience. The latest version of The Sound of Music received mixed reviews, critics agreed that Carrie Underwood was a wonderful singer, but felt that she was too inexperienced as an actor.
Even the real von Trapps remarked on her lack of experience and stated that her portrayal of Maria seemed lifeless. Despite the reviews, the performance was a big success, bringing in 18.62 million viewers and leading NBC to decide to produce more live versions of musicals.
Breaking Up The Band
The von Trapp family had many years of success as a traveling singing troupe, but by 1955 they decided to disband. The children, who were now all grown up, wanted to pursue their own interests. Four of the von Trapp daughters went to New Guinea in 1956 to perform missionary work, with daughter Maria deciding to remain there as a missionary for the next 30 years.
Rupert von Trapp became a physician while Agathe von Trapp moved to Maryland and became a kindergarten teacher. Werner von Trapp became a farmer and Hedwig von Trapp worked as a music teacher. The other children married, settled down and had children of their own.
Thoughts About The Film
Now that we know the differences between fact and fiction, you may be wondering what the real von Trapps thought about the movie and musical inspired by their lives. Maria felt relieved that her story wasn’t too different, and she approved of the way her character was depicted. On the other hand, she didn’t like the ways in which Georg was presented and his character altered.
As for the children, they felt that their story was oversimplified and that they were depicted as “lightweight” musicians. Johannes von Trapp explained this in 1998 to The New York Times, “It’s not what my family was about… [We were] about good taste, culture, all these wonderful upper-class standards that people make fun of in movies like ‘Titanic.’ We’re about environmental sensitivity, artistic sensitivity. ‘The Sound of Music’ simplifies everything. I think perhaps reality is at the same time less glamorous, but more interesting that the myth.”
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood is known around the world as a hugely successful country music star, but her childhood was anything but grand. She grew up on a farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma, the daughter of a school teacher and a paper mill worker. The talented vocalist rose to fame after winning season four of American Idol and became one of the biggest selling artists in the show’s history.
Forbes magazine claims that Underwood is now worth $120 million dollars, $83 million of which she has earned just in the last year. Underwood was a nominee for Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards in 2016, but Ariana Grande took it home. The talented, successful and wealthy Carrie Underwood seems like a great fit for the role of Maria in the live stage version of The Sound of Music.
Maria Was Already Married
In reality, Baron von Trapp and Maria did not have the budding romance like they did on screen. Instead, the two of them had already been married for years and even had kids at the time, as well as another bun in the oven.
Of course the actual wedding was not particularly glamorous and was just a simple affair in Saltzburg in the year 1927.