Sams to Direct London Sound of Music Revival, Opening 12/5

The highly anticipated London revival of The Sound of Music is now set to open at the London Palladium December 5th after beginning previews on November 24th. It is currently booking through April 14th, 2007.

Jeremy Sams has been announced as the director of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, for which a UK casting search is now underway to find an actress to play Maria, according to Whatsonstage.com. Sams directed the Broadway revival of Noises Off, and has offered adapations for musicals such as Amour and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Rob Jones will design the beloved musical about a mischievous governess and the Von Trapp family.

Graham Norton leads "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?," a BBC One reality show search to find the production's Maria.  Also on the search team are West End producer David Ian and none other than composer, producer and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose Really Useful Group will produce the revival with Live Nation's David Ian. Norton is the popular host of the reality talent show "Strictly Dance Fever." The three are hoping to cast an unknown in the role of the perky Austrian governess.

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.

Immortalized in a film version starring Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1960 (and star Mary Martin won a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical). With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, The Sound of Music was revived on Broadway in 1998.