How well do you know The Sound of Music, one of the most beloved musicals of all time? From its Tony Award-winning Broadway debut to the iconic film adaptation starring Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music has captured audiences worldwide. Test your knowledge of this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic with trivia about its historical inspirations, famous songs, and unforgettable performances. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the musical, see how much you know about the show that’s been delighting audiences for decades.
International Productions
- The Austrian production of The Sound of Music at the Volksoper Wien included a unique take on the song 'Do-Re-Mi', which was rewritten with German letter notation and mnemonics.
- At the Teatro de la Universidad in San Juan in 2014, a Spanish language adaptation of 'The Sound of Music' opened under the direction of Edgar García.
- The first London production of The Sound of Music opened at the Palace Theatre in 1961 and enjoyed similar success to the Broadway original.
- The 2006 London revival cast Connie Fisher as Maria, who was selected through a UK talent search reality TV show.
Musical Composition
- Iconic songs from the musical, such as 'Do-Re-Mi', 'My Favorite Things', and 'Edelweiss', have become beloved standards worldwide.
- The song 'Edelweiss' is often mistaken as a traditional Austrian tune but was actually written specifically for the musical 'The Sound of Music'.
- The original Broadway cast album of 'The Sound of Music' recorded in 1959 was Columbia Masterworks' first deluxe package in a gatefold jacket and topped Billboard's best-selling albums chart for 16 weeks in 1960.
- The soundtrack of the 1965 film version is one of the most successful soundtrack albums in history, with over 20 million copies sold worldwide.
- The 1981 London revival was the first stage production to include 'Something Good' and 'I Have Confidence', two songs composed by Richard Rodgers for the film version of The Sound of Music.
Notable Tours
- The Sound of Music UK tour from 2009 to 2011 saw both Connie Fisher and her alternate Kirsty Malpass play Maria, with Jason Donovan and Verity Rushworth stepping in as Captain von Trapp and Maria, respectively, in early 2011.
- The 2008 Toronto revival of The Sound of Music also cast its Maria through a reality TV show, echoing the 2006 London revival's method.
- The production of The Sound of Music in October 1981 set a record for the highest attendance figure for a single week in any British musical production in history.
- A UK tour of the musical began in 2015, directed by Martin Connor and starred Lucy O'Byrne as Maria.
Production Facts
- The NBC televised production of 'The Sound of Music' in December 2013, starring Carrie Underwood, was released on DVD in the same month.
- The 1965 film adaptation of the musical, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, won five Oscars including Best Picture at the 38th Academy Awards.
- A unique production of 'The Sound of Music' in Thailand in 2015 replaced the song 'Ordinary Couple' with 'Something Good'.
- The musical revival at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park in 2013 was nominated for Best Musical Revival at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 2014.
- Rebecca Luker, who originally played Maria in the 1998 Broadway revival, was later replaced by her understudy Laura Benanti in the lead role.
- The Sound of Music was the last musical written by the famous duo Rodgers and Hammerstein; Oscar Hammerstein II died of stomach cancer nine months after its Broadway premiere.
- The 1998 Broadway revival of The Sound of Music was notable for marking Laura Benanti's Broadway debut.
- Maria von Trapp herself attended the opening night of the 1981 West End revival of The Sound of Music and praised Petula Clark as 'the best' Maria she had ever seen.
- At the climax of 'The Sound of Music', the von Trapp family sings 'So Long, Farewell' as a distraction to escape the concert and ultimately fled Nazi-occupied Austria.
- The real Maria von Trapp's surname was Kutschera, but it was changed to Rainer in the musical for dramatic purposes.
- The Sound of Music is based on the real-life story of the Trapp Family Singers, but the musical takes some liberties with the details, such as changing the names and ages of the children.
- Julie Andrews starred in the 1965 film adaptation of The Sound of Music, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
- The original Broadway production of The Sound of Music, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, opened in 1959 and went on to win five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
