Carrie Underwood has come under fire on social media for her upcoming turn as 'Maria' in THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE on NBC.
In an interview with
Entertainment Weekly for the magazine's "Entertainers of the Year" issue, Underwood said: "I get hate Tweets and stuff like, 'You're not
Julie Andrews!' I know I'm not Julie. Nobody is and I would never pretend that I was ... I know my place."
But BroadwayWorld
reported earlier this month that Andrews herself supports Underwood in the role.
"Fifty years later, it's time somebody had another crack at it. I had the best time of my life doing it, and it did wonderful things for me. I think it's great that it's being done again, but doing it live must be so daunting for Carrie," Andrews said. "It's a lovely piece, and I do hope it works for Carrie, because she's lovely and I'm a fan. I wish her well."
NBC's THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE!, starring Underwood as Maria and
Stephen Moyer as Capt. Georg von Trapp, is set to air on Thursday, Dec. 5 (8 PM ET) on NBC.
Also in the cast are
Audra McDonald ("Private Practice"), who has won fiveTony Awards and two Grammys, as Mother Abbess; Tony Award winner
Christian Borle("Smash"), who will portray von Trapp family friend Max Detweiler; and Tony winner
Laura Benanti ("Go On"), who will portray Elsa Schrader, the captain's one-time fiancee.
NBC just released the complete cast list, and you can check it out
here.
Executive producers for the telecast are Neil Meron and Craig Zadan ("Smash," "The Academy Awards"). Directors are Rob Ashford ("Evita") and Beth McCarthy-Miller ("30 Rock"). David Chase ("Cinderella") serves as musical director. The soundtrack is licensed through the NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group."The Sound of Music," set in the 1930s before and during "Anschluss" when the Nazi's annexed Austria, is based on the romantic true story of Maria von Trapp, an aspiring nun who leaves the abbey to become a governess for the widower Capt. von Trapp's seven children. She soon finds herself falling in love with her employer and questioning her religious calling. It premiered on Broadway in 1959 where it broke box-office records and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The 1965 film adaptation won the Oscar for Best Picture.
