Sound of Music "Transfer"?

[gstrus2]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 9:32am

Is there even a possibilty of this transfering to Broadway with Carrie Underwood? A few people have said it in other threads. Are there negotiations, or is this pure speculation with no actual evidence?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 11:11am

Pure speculation. However, the Weisslers are masters at putting stars into Broadway shows. I wouldn't dismiss them at least giving it some thought.

The revival of TSOM in the late 90s was as interesting as watching paint dry and I think Broadway needs a fresh production. But I think it could be heavily marketed towards the tourist crowd.

It would be interesting to see if the Weisslers could snag Carrie, Audra, Laura and Christian. But that cast may be cost prohibitive for a Broadway run.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 11:31am

There is no way that any of those Tony-winning stars are playing those small supporting roles in a Broadway production.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 11:44am

"There is no way that any of those Tony-winning stars are playing those small supporting roles in a Broadway production."

Audra should do it just to grab another Tony Award.

I forgot that Laura replaced Rebecca Luker as Maria in the revival. So, no I guess she wouldn't.

I don't see Christian as Max anyway, so no he shouldn't do it.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 11:46am

Well, 'transfer' wouldn't really be the right phraseology, as there is very little of what is being done on this telecast that could 'transfer' to a Broadway theater -- the scenery has been constructed strictly to studio specifications, the costumes are no doubt being built to look good on camera, not to endure months of hard use and cleaning, and the cast size (and talent level) are not realistic for an open ended New York engagement.

Still, if the broadcast is a (huge) success, and should Carrie Underwood have an interest in doing this on Broadway, I could see the broadcast being the 'basis' for a new staging, but it would largely be building a $14M production from the ground up to do so.

They certainly couldn't just take what they've created for the broadcast and shove it into the Palace Theater in three weeks.





Updated On: 11/29/13 at 11:46 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 11:56am

i cant see the average tourist shelling out big bucks to see the same performance they saw on tv for free. Especially if they can purchase the dvd for twenty bucks. IF that might spurn them to see a show on b'way -- I would guess MOST folks would spend the money on something they hadnt seen.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 12:13pm

If the broadcast goes over well (and I think it will) what I think would be lovely would be to bring the cast back to do a one night concert version (perhaps for BCEFA) -- that seems like a more realistic way to celebrate the event with something 'in person' rather than to try to create a large scale Broadway 'transfer.'

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 11/29/13 at 1:40pm

Agreed with dramamama. Since anyone with half a brain can record it for free on Thursday and I'm sure there will be a multitude of recordings, legal and otherwise online, I can't really imagine too many people would be interested in shelling out premium prices that would be necessary to keep this afloat.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/30/13 at 2:42pm

Is there any kind of precedent for this? I'm actually curious. Like, none of the past events like this that I can think of have ever then gone to Broadway, but maybe I'm wrong...

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/30/13 at 2:52pm

It's difficult to tell because most of the broadcasts have been of material that had already been tested and approved. Everyone knows The Sound Of Music and it's just a revisit of familiar material. It's like the comfort food of shows.

The one exception was Evening Primrose. And while that is a remarkable show, it never really generated enough interest to bring it to Broadway.

What I really wish is that a show like this or Glee would relaunch the television variety show. Maybe stars today don't want to commit to that much work, but I think of all the wonderful performers like Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson, Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan, etc, who brought Vaudeville into our living rooms.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 11/30/13 at 4:43pm

There is no way that any of those Tony-winning stars are playing those small supporting roles in a Broadway production.

So is Broadway now one step below television?

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 11/30/13 at 5:18pm

"So is Broadway now one step below television?"

No stagemanager2. They are two different mediums. The idea of five time tony award winner audra mcdonald, tony award winner laura benenti and christian borle doing sound of music eight shows a week just in those roles just doesn't seem likely.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 11/30/13 at 5:36pm

"So is Broadway now one step below television?"

Speaking strictly in terms of national recognition (career advancement) and the actual paycheck, yes. I would certainly say so.

On a separate note, there is NO WAY country superstar Carrie Underwood would do a Broadway musical. She makes millions every year from album sales alone. Not to mention all of the touring she does many months of the year. They would need to find a new "star" for the leading part, if they did transfer this. Which I don't see happening.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 11/30/13 at 6:45pm

The transfer is already announced. It is being transferred onto Blu-Ray and DVD on December 17.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/1/13 at 9:15am

I didn't see WOTV, but it seems that Laura's last Bdwy musical role, Candela, might be arguably comparable in size to the Baroness, although perhaps quite a bit snappier.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/1/13 at 6:31pm

Even still, Laura already played MARIA on Broadway. She's not going to play Elsa. It's just not going to happen.