Johansson was Almost Maria in London Sound of Music

A nationwide UK casting search is still underway to find a Maria for the upcoming West End revival of The Sound of Music.  Film star Scarlett Johansson, however, came very close to landing the role.

According to IMDB, Andrew Lloyd Webber--who will be producing the revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic at the London Palladium late this fall--was highly interested in casting Johansson as the spirited young Austrian governess.  The casting failed to materialize due to financial demands from Johannson's management team.

Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Cats) had approached Johannson about playing Maria, and the star of films such as Match Point and Lost in Translation was so interested that she "gave an impromptu rendition of songs from the hit movie in front of a restaurant full of people to prove her singing credentials and obsession with the musical."  Lloyd Webber, who was impressed with her singing voice, said that the salary demands of Johannson's managers and publicists were too high, but a spokesman for the starlet replied that the salary demands were proportionate to Johannson's stature and that the real reason she chose not to do the revival was a previous film commitment.

The Sound of Music revival will open on November 14th after beginning previews on November 4th. The show is currently booking through April 14th, 2007.

Jeremy Sams (Noises Off, adaptations for Amour and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) will direct.  Robert Jones will design the beloved musical about a mischievous governess and the Von Trapp family.  In addition, the revival will feature choreography by Arlene Phillips, musical supervision by Simon Lee, lighting design by Mark Henderson and sound design by Mick Potter.

Popular UK TV star Graham Norton leads "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?," a BBC One reality show search to find the production's Maria.  He and Lloyd Webber are joined on the search team are West End producer David Ian.  Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group will produce the revival with Ian. The three are now hoping to cast an unknown as Maria.

Auditions for the casting search began on April 22nd. The Maria-wannabes will then be narrowed down to 50, and then to 10, before a winner is chosen by public vote.