Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 7:20pm

Patricia Neway received a Tony Award for her role as the Mother Abbess in the original production of The Sound of Music (1960) and Peggy Wood received an Academy Award nomination for the same role in the 1965 film version.

To me, it's not a very strong role, and I can't understand how the role itself is award-worthy? These performances were obviously very strong... Any thoughts?

Updated On: 6/18/12 at 07:20 PM

[Patash]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 7:35pm

Simple, she sings Climb Every Mountain. It's not the first supporting role in a musical that gets its clout from a major musical number.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 7:37pm

I suppose much like Nettie in Carousel, which also seems like it should be a Supporting Actress award-worthy role, because of '...Walk Alone'

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 7:46pm

Exactly Patash, that number is the pinnical of that show. Of course the actress who delivers it, if she does it well should be nominated if not awarded recognition for the role!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 8:00pm

She not only sings "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", she sings it twice. And in the original stage production, the Mother Abbess also sings "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" with the other nuns AND "My Favorite Things" as a duet with Maria. Plus the "Allelujah" during the wedding sequence.

And, again in the original stage version, she has at least two major scenes with Maria. People have won Tony Awards for roles with much less stage time. Take Jane Houdyshell. I realize she didn't win, but would anyone be complaining if she had?

Updated On: 6/18/12 at 08:00 PM

[keithp]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 8:05pm

Interesting to note that If Peggy Wood had won the Academy Award for the film it would had have been for NOT singing Climb Every Mountain (she was dubbed). Her performance is very good though.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 8:07pm

I find it fascinating and it's amazing that they will honor these great actresses and actors in supporting roles with sometimes little stage/screen time with Tony and Oscar nominations even when they don't win.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 8:10pm

True re Peggy Wood. And her Oscar nod is even more fascinating, since her role in the film was cut down to a minimum, she has much less to sing, (and say) since most of the action was placed on the Von Trapp mansion, etc. The Abbey wasn't given much screen time

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 8:13pm

Can I ask what your definition of supporting or featured actor is, if you are suprised about the recognition of the actors?

[Wynbish]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 8:15pm

Look at Judi Dench. Shakespeare in Love.

[degrassifan]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 11:35pm

I'm surprised Elearnor Parker didn't get a Best Supporting Actress nomination for The Sound of Music, but I digress. Anyway, the Mother Abbess is a very important role. The character was even given an extra song to sing (duet with Maria) in the 1981 London revival called "A Bell Is No Bell".

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 12:37am

I think it's a strong role, and both actresses did a great job with it.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 8:12am

GavestonPS spells out all of the numbers that the great Patricia Neway participated in in the 1960 stage version of the SOUND OF MUSIC. I saw that production and was extremely impressed with Neway's big, glorious voice. She deserved her Tony. Incidentally, she passed away during this current Broadway season and was remembered in the Tony Memoriam which was unfortunately not televised, but which was posted elsewhere.

[bobs3]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 9:18am

Sidenote trivia: Robert Wise filmed Peggy Wood singing "Climb Every Mountain" in silhouette against the Abbey window because she couldn't synchronize her lip movements to the dubbed music.

[bryan2]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 9:27am

Supporting awards are very different..
Betty Buckley deserved to win for CATS but really
was only sang 1 song 2x .....so I think it is the impact
the actor has.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 9:52am

Ethel Merman said it best: How are you going to buck a nun?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 10:02am

I often wondered why Peggy Wood's singing voice was dubbed in that film. She had a legitimate soprano and had starred in Broadway musicals at the beginning of her career. Granted, that was years earlier.

Updated On: 6/19/12 at 10:02 AM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 10:16am

I always wondered why "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" was shot so darkly. I never liked all the shadow in that scene. It seemed to work against the song.

[Patash]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 11:09am

Gothampc, actually I always loved the way the scene and the song were lighted. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but the scenes within the office were indeed dark and "closed" like life in the Abbey itself would be. But when the Mother Abbess sings the song and looks out the window, we see how bright the rest of the world is. It just emphasizes why Maria NEEDS to leave the abbey and go out into that bright and sunny real world. The light on Peggy Wood's face still gives me the chills, not to mention the little spray from her mouth as she sings (or pretends to).

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 11:49am

I heard they replaced her "mouth-spray" with Marni Nixon's.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 12:38pm

And what exactly is Mother Abbess saying in that scene?

(hat tip to Stage Manager 2 who pointed this out in another thread and was the first time it was brought to my attention)
Link

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 2:05pm

Gothampc, actually I always loved the way the scene and the song were lighted. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but the scenes within the office were indeed dark and "closed" like life in the Abbey itself would be. But when the Mother Abbess sings the song and looks out the window, we see how bright the rest of the world is. It just emphasizes why Maria NEEDS to leave the abbey and go out into that bright and sunny real world. The light on Peggy Wood's face still gives me the chills, not to mention the little spray from her mouth as she sings (or pretends to).

Those office scenes were actually shot in a cover set which is why those scenes look darkly lit, etc.

Principal photography on the film began with location filming in Austria. Unfortunately, it rained quite a bit which extended location filming to 11 weeks. In order to take advantage of not wasting time, they had countless cover sets in case it rained, etc. Many intimate scenes in the film were shot in a cover set, including that Maria/Mother Abbess office scene, which was shot during rain breaks from the "Do Re Mi" filming.

Many people involved with the production commented that NOW they understood why Austria has those lush greens and foliage: IT RAINS ALL THE TIME!

[Patash]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 2:36pm

"Those office scenes were actually shot in a cover set which is why those scenes look darkly lit, etc."

Huh? I won't argue that they were shot in a cover set, but I will argue that there was enough money in the budget to cover a few lights if they had wanted them. I'll maintain that the reason those office scenes were dark is because the director wanted them that way. It's hard for me to imagine that Robert Wise wanted those scenes brighter but couldn't figure out how to make that possible in a cover set! Clearly he wanted them to be darkly lit.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 2:50pm

You are absolutely correct -- the darkness to the office scenes was indeed creative choices by the DP and Robert Wise.

I inadvertenly forgot to mention this as I was providing the backstory to the filming of that scene -- that the darkness was indeed intentional and for the exact same reasons that someone just mentioned.

My bad not re-reading what I wrote.

[Jon]

Posted: 6/19/12 at 2:56pm

But why does she call Maria a c__tface?