THE SOUND OF MUSIC

THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by "The Trapp Family Singers" by Maria Augusta Trapp

THE SOUND OF MUSIC is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization

www.concordtheatricals.co.uk

***

Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as a governess in a large family while deciding whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children and eventually their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept service in the German navy, but he resists the Nazis. He and Maria decide to flee Austria with the children. Many songs from the musical have become standards, including "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "Edelweiss", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and the title song "The Sound of Music".

The original Broadway production, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, opened in 1959 and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, from nine nominations. The first London production was at the Royal Theatre in 1961. Since then, the musical has enjoyed numerous productions around the world. The 1965 film adaptation starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. "The Sound of Music" was also the last musical by the tandem of Rodgers and Hammerstein, as Hammerstein died nine months after the Broadway premiere. The two created more than 10 musicals, including Oklahoma, "South Pacific", "The King and I", and "Cinderella". For their works, the two won 37 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, 2 Pulitzer Prizes, 2 Emmy Awards and 2 Grammy Awards.

***********************