I thought this was pretty darned good. My son was an assistant director for this play at his high school, so the differences between the stage play and the movie production were obvious to me. To criticize this because of changes from the Julie Andrews version is unfair. The very task of putting a live performance on television has been debated so much and I feel that to never try anything new is preposterous. While there were a few flubs and trips, this whole thing came off remarkably well. Carrie Undrwood is one of the most talented pop singers of our time (or any, for that matter) and delivers well. The supporting cast is quite wonderful, filled with Broadway heavyweights. Underwood's acting is a bit stiff, but for the most part it is adequate. I can't think of a song that wasn't delivered by the cast in any but a highly professional way. Remember, when the movie came out, there were die-hard Mary Martin fans who were surprised by the additionally songs and the deleting of some of their favorites. I don't know if we need live television with all the advances in video performance, but I would not hesitate to watch this. One hope is that on the DVD version, they are able to remove that overriding hum.
Review of The Sound of Music Live!
