Carrie Underwood stars as Maria von Trapp on the NBC-TV live production of "The Sound of Music" this Thursday at 8:00 PM. So why am I making a note of this? Two reasons: 1. Many local theater companies, including the Milford Performing Arts Center and the Franklin Performing Arts Center, have put on their own productions of this classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical in the past year; and 2. Carrie Underwood has actually been receiving hate mail and snarky tweets putting her down because she's "not Julie Andrews." Of course she's not Julie Andrews, she's Carrie Underwood! Theater does not retire roles in classic plays simply because any single actor or actress made a successful movie or theater production in that role. Want a character to disappear from public? Stop performing that role out of "respect" for an actor. Soon no one will remember the character or the actor who played him. Sometimes the role changes and grows. Ethel Merman is the absolute tops as Mama Rose in "Gypsy", but that did not stop Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, or Patti LuPone from "Coming Up Roses" in the role in later years. I know that none of the roles I have played on the stage over the years have made anyone forget the original, but I enjoyed the roles and did my best with them to bring them to life. Don't hate tweet - watch, listen, be of an open mind. I could hear in the "making of" program run by NBC last week country twangs in Underwood's voice but nothing to dissuade me from giving her a chance to play Maria. Give NBC a chance and tune in on Thursday, and if "The Hills Are Alive" - run! Sorry, couldn't resist that. Just watch!
