Members of the Von Trapp family were not thrilled with NBC’s production of The Sound of Music Live. If you missed out, the general consensus is that you didn’t really miss out. This would have been a terrible introduction to the stage musical, or more importantly, the film starring Julie Andrews.
One particular Von Trapp suggested that Carrie Underwood was too green as an actress, and that her tabloid image was a little too familiar for her to portray the squeaky-clean Maria Von Trapp. This individual went on to suggest that Anne Hathaway would have been a better choice. This begs the question: Has this Von Trapp seen Rachel Getting Married? And since when has Carrie Underwood been serious paparazzi bait or tabloid fodder? It’s not like NBC cast Brittany Spears. Though giving consideration to such boldness, how awesome would that have been? Like a stalled car sitting on the train tracks.
No doubt about it, Carrie Underwood was lacking the acting skills to pull off the tour de force of Julie Andrews in the iconic film, but therein lies the fallacy of the entire production. Why do it in the first place? From the perspective of NBC, it was a ratings giant, regardless of the critical lambasting. Still, for a network already struggling with image, and hoping to build a new foundation, this seemed like a shot in the dark. Oh, it seems so long ago that Seinfeld and Friends ruled the airwaves, and before that, we shouldn’t forget that The Cosby Show was also offered by the Peacock.
If you want the full spectrum of “ouch” offered by the Legacy de Von Trapp, have a look and listen to the video.