Table Of ContentRodgers and Hammerstein’s
The Sound of Music
‘Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever’
Often dismissed as kitsch sentimentalism, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The
Sound of Music has proven an enduringly popular and surprisingly influential
cultural icon, both within the field of musical theatre and the wider world.
The Broadway production won five Tony Awards, the London production
became the longest-running West End musical, and the movie version was
the highest-grossing film of all time. This book examines how the musical
heralded the end of an era on Broadway; its reinvention of history and
biography; how the film has influenced future stage productions; the ways in
which it put child performers centre stage; and how, nearly 60 years after its
stage debut, the musical still has a direct impact on the modern world, from
the United States to the Middle East.
In this series of short essays, Julian Woolford re-examines the musical
from seven different perspectives, revealing the ways in which it continues to
impact the 21st century.
Julian Woolford is Head of Musical Theatre at Guildford School of Acting,
University of Surrey. He has worked extensively in British theatre as a director
and writer, and has directed national tours of Oklahoma!, Carousel and South
Pacific, as well as the Lebanese and Egyptian premieres of The Sound of Music.
The Fourth Wall
The Fourth Wall series is a growing collection of short books on famous plays.
Its compact format perfectly suits the kind of fresh, engaging criticism that
brings a play to life.
Each book in this series selects one play or musical as its subject and
approaches it from an original angle, seeking to shed light on an old favourite
or break new ground on a modern classic. These lively, digestible books are a
must for anyone looking for new ideas on the major works of modern theatre.
Also available in this series:
J. M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World by Christopher Collins
Heiner Müller’s The Hamletmachine by David Barnett
Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady by Keith Garebian
Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape by Daniel Sack
Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth by Kyle Gillette
Harold Pinter’s Party Time by Graham White
Davies and Penhall’s Sunny Afternoon by John Fleming
Tim Crouch’s An Oak Tree by Catherine Love
Sondheim and Lapine’s Into the Woods by Olaf Jubin
Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Lynnette Goddard
Alastair McDowell’s Pomona by David Ian Rabey
Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes by Sam Kinchin-Smith
Sondheim and Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd by Aaron Thomas
Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Michael Y. Bennett
Boublil and Schoënberg’s Les Misérables by Sarah Whitfield
J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan by Lucie Sutherland
Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck by Karoline Gritzner
Mitchell and Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch by Caridad Svich
Parker, Lopez and Stone’s The Book of Mormon by Brian Granger
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music by Julian Woolford
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/
performance/series/4THW
Rodgers and
Hammerstein’s The
Sound of Music
Julian Woolford
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Julian Woolford
The right of Julian Woolford to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-138-68283-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-54487-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Swales & Willis, Exeter, Devon, UK
For my mother, Anthea,
my sisters, Karen and Nikola,
and my brothers, Russell and Simon.
Remembering watching The Sound of Music on
TV at Christmas.
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
‘Do’ Rodgers, Hammerstein and The Sound of Music 1
‘Re’ The ghosts of the von Trapps 8
‘Mi’ How do you solve a problem like the ‘ploovie’? 17
‘Fa’ What’s a ‘kidsical’? 28
‘Sol’ It’s not just a musical – it’s an event! 37
‘La’ Bless my homeland forever 48
‘Ti’ ’Til you find your dream 57
That will bring us back to ‘Do’ 66
Index 67
Acknowledgements
There are many people I would like to thank who have
helped in the development of this book, over many years.
Firstly, I would like to thank the actors, fellow creatives,
orchestras and administrative staff of the three productions
of the musical I have directed; in 1994 at the Queen’s
Theatre Hornchurch, and then in 2015 in Beirut and
Egypt. In particular the three actresses who played Maria,
Deborah McAndrew, Gemma Sutton and Helena Black-
man, who each brought different qualities to the role. Also
thanks to Mark Inscoe who was a glutton for punishment
and appeared in all three productions.
No book on The Sound of Music is complete without
thanks to Bert Fink, who, having worked with the title for
many years, knows more about the musical and the film
than anyone I know and never fails to take an opportunity
to regale his companions with an anecdote. S pecial thanks
are also due to the staff of the Rodgers and Hammerstein
Organization; Ted Chapin, Vivien Goodwin and espe-
cially Andy Chan who gave many fine suggestions and
comments.
Acknowledgements ix
Many thanks to Hadi Rosat, the director of the Teh-
ran production, and Jackie Clune, a host of the Sing-a-
Long-a version, for their time and effort in taking part in
interviews.
Thanks to Laura Soppelsa at Routledge for nudging and
encouraging, whilst always understanding.
Thanks to Sean McNamara and all my colleagues at
GSA for their words of encouragement as I have juggled
writing this with my work at the conservatoire, particu-
larly to Kevin Michael Cripps who read an early draft and
provided many helpful notes.
Thanks to Mitchell Harper, Dominic Hourd, Edward
Laxton, Richard John, Matt Brinkler, Chris Hocking, Sue
Westcott and my mother, Anthea Woolford, who have all
patiently listened while I thought this book would never
come into being.
Last, but definitely not least, to my husband, Stephen
Barlow, whose love inspires me every day. In the words of
the Mother Abbess, I can only say to him: ‘What is it you
can’t face?’
