I Told You There was a Problem with Maria

I have never liked to say "I told you so" because it sounds so confrontational and borderline hostile.  I much prefer "See, I was right!" which may be self congratulatory but also demonstrates healthy self esteem (something with which I've struggled).  

Which brings to us the The Sound of Music - Live!  on NBC last Thursday.  A couple of weeks ago in my blog entitled  "A Problem with Maria" (http://ripachesallover.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-problem-with-maria.html) I shared some reservations about the casting of Carrie Underwood as Maria.  I said that while I thought she would certainly sing prettily enough for the role, that her lack of acting experience made her a risky choice for a lead role in a live televised performance.

Well, I was emphatically right about this.  Carrie sang the role just fine, but her performance was wooden - with blank expressions and a lifeless line delivery.  She had absolutely no chemistry with her leading man, Stephen Moyer as Captain Von Trapp.  To be fair to Carrie, it was evident that she gave this demanding assignment her very best effort - she worked very hard at what must have been a daunting task for a non-actress and was clearly the very best Maria that she - Carrie Underwood - could be. 

It wasn't her fault that she was reportedly, inexplicably, the first choice for the role - we would have to turn to the producers and directors for an explanation of their reasoning for that.  Did they even audition her for the part?  Or did they cast her only based on her popularity as a country singer and American Idol winner.

Honestly I wish the powers-that-be on projects like this would have a little more faith in their audience.  I understand that it's a business and you want to cast someone with a following, but the integrity and quality of the project should also matter.  I can't buy the theory that this project could not have been made without Carrie Underwood. They could have tried a little harder to find that superstar with a following who can sing and act.  A good first step might be to actually read the star you have in mind for the role.

 

As for Carrie, I can imagine that it was very flattering to be told she was the first choice for the role, and it probably seemed like a wonderful opportunity, but in the end I wonder if she did herself any favors by taking on something so completely beyond her.  Before this, she was a star beloved by many with few detractors. But now she is the brunt of much deserved criticism, and ridIcule.  She seems like a nice enough person, but her tweet of "Plain and simple: mean people need Jesus" in response to her critics is just naive (on so many levels).  When you perform you open yourself up to be critiqued, and as a former AI contestant she really should know that.

Now, let's get back to how I was right, shall we?  In a stroke of genius unbelievable in the same people who cast Carrie in the lead, the producers thought outside the box and cast the incomparable Audra McDonald in the role of Mother Abbess.  I was pretty excited about this, saying that I would literally cast Audra McDonald in any role she wanted, and that I was waiting in breathless anticipation to hear her performance of "Climb Every Mountain."

Well, Audra blew all my expectations out of the water.  She was the best Mother Abbess I have ever seen.  She turned in the most riveting, compelling, ferocious "Climb Every Mountain" you could ever hope to enjoy, and she actually made Carrie Underwood weep (the only real emotion she showed all night).  Audra acted while she was singing, if you can imagine, and created one of those one-of-a-kind iconic theatrical performances that will be remembered and revered forever.

So, maybe those were the easy calls, you say?  How else was I right, you ask?  Well, the luminous Laura Benanti was so enchanting as the Baroness that it was puzzling why the Captain would choose Maria over her, almost as puzzling as why the producers would choose Carrie over Laura to play...oh, never mind.  Laura was great as the Baroness, as I predicted.  And Pittsburgh native Christian Borle was even better in the role of Max than I said he'd be.

All in all, Sound of Music Live! was a thoroughly satisfying experience. Wondrous sets, some really fine performances by the supporting players (including the kids, the nuns, and the housekeeper and butler) yet still enough to poke fun at.  And the best part is that I was right about it all. 

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.