A Problem with Maria

Carrie Underwood must have one hell of an agent.  

When we visited the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame a few years ago, she was featured in the Women Who Rock exhibit despite being a country singer.  There is nothing even slightly rock 'n roll about this woman's music.  I know because she is singing everywhere you turn around because of that stellar agent of hers.

Now she has been chosen to play Maria in NBC's upcoming live remake of The Sound of Music.    While she certainly sings prettily enough for the role, I was unable to find even one actual acting credit listed in her IMDB profile.  Sure, "America" must love her (she won American Idol a few years ago) but even if she read extremely well in the audition, this is a LIVE performance of a lead role, and choosing a first time actress for the part is clearly a risk.

I have a complicated relationship with The Sound of Music.  The iconic movie starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer was released the month I turned 9, and my parents decided to take me to the Warner Theater in downtown Pittsburgh to see the movie as a special treat for my birthday.  I remember the excitement of dressing up and making the trip downtown.  I was completely enthralled and enchanted by everything about the film; I thought it was perfection.

Then I saw the movie again when it was re-released when I was 11. I was more sophisticated and jaded by then, and suddenly the whole thing seemed a little saccharine to me.  This has not kept me from willingly watching and enjoying the movie and various productions of the stage version many more times over the years.  Mr. Rip, my friend Casey and I went to see an interactive sing-a-long version a few years ago that was loads of fun.

Which brings us to the question of whether The Sound of Music needs to be remade at all.  I might have said no, until I heard the announcement of some supporting cast members that made my reservations about Carrie as Maria vanish.  Listen to this:

Audra McDonald will be playing the Mother Abbess, Maria's wise advisor.  Mr. Rip, who is a very literal guy, has taken issue with the historical accuracy of such casting, but c'mon.  This is five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald we're talking about here.  I would cast her in literally any role she might like to play in a production of anything I was directing.  Mr. Rip asked if I would cast her as Max Bialystock in The Producers. Yes, yes I would.  Anyway, I wait in breathless anticipation to hear her sing "Climb Every Mountain."

Which brings me to the lovely Laura Benanti being cast as the Baroness, who is supposed to be a villain or something, but I don't think she's so bad.  Sure she isn't so childlike that she is practically one of the kids, but she wasn't really mean to them either.  

I am sure that Laura Benanti will shine in the role.  She is also a Tony Winner for her role of Louise in the Patty Lupone revival of Gypsy five years ago, where she believably transformed from the innocent and awkward teenager to the jaded worldly stripper.  You know, kind of like the transformation (albeit a less dramatic one) that the character of Maria makes in The Sound of Music?  Hey, wait a minute, if a world class actress and singer like Laura Benanti who actually won awards for her portrayal of a character going from adolescence to adulthood was available, why didn't they offer her the role of....  oh, never mind.  She'll make a great Baroness.

And, finally, there's Christian Borle, yet another Tony Award winner as the wise-cracking Max.  I think he'll be great in the role, and besides I'm legally obligated to enthusiastically cheer him on in his career because he is a Pittsburgh native.

So, anyway, I am eagerly awaiting this production, although the jury is out on Carrie Underwood as Maria.  All I know right now is that Laura Benanti ought to give her agent a call.