The Sound of Music: A Guide to Stage and Screen

For decades, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved musical The Sound of Music has delighted theatre and film audiences alike. A soaring score filled with enthralling musical numbers ensures its place in the canon of classic musical theatre, as does its timeless message of hope, courage and family. But film fans attending a theatrical performance of The Sound of Music (US/UK) may be surprised by some of the differences between the two iterations. Here’s a succinct guide to the film and stage versions of this treasured Golden Age musical.

Mary Martin and cast in the original Broadway production (1959)

HISTORY

Stage

The Sound of Music was the final collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp, the musical featured a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Opening at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 16, 1959, the show was a critical and commercial triumph. It later moved to the Mark Hellinger Theatre, where it would end its lauded run on June 15, 1963, after 1,443 performances. Starring Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as Captain von Trapp, the production ultimately won five Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Leading Actress for Mary Martin. Following its raging success in the United States, The Sound of Music transferred to the West End, starring Jean Bayless. Playing for over two years, it long held the record as the longest-running American musical in London.

Film

In 1965, the film version of The Sound of Music was released to great acclaim. The film was an instant hit, playing in movie theatres across the country and worldwide for four and a half years, longer than any other film in US history. It was directed by Robert Wise, with a score revised by Richard Rodgers (adhering closely to his original stage collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II), with Ernest Lehman adapting the screenplay. The creative team assembled an impressive cast, including Julie Andrews as Maria, Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp, Eleanor Parker as Elsa, and Peggy Wood as the Mother Abbess. Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, The Sound of Music is one of the most popular movie musicals ever made.

©1965 20^th Century Studios, Inc.

PLOT

Film and Stage

When an Austrian postulant proves too high-spirited for the religious life, she is dispatched to serve as governess for the seven children of a widowed naval Captain. Her generosity of spirit, love of music and growing rapport with the children gradually capture the heart of the stern Captain. They fall in love and marry. While Maria and the Captain are away on their honeymoon, the Anschluss occurs; Austria is annexed by Nazi Germany. The Nazis demand the Captain’s immediate service in their navy. Refusing to capitulate, the Captain and Maria narrowly escape by leading their family over the mountains to Switzerland.

2022 Paper Mill Playhouse production of The Sound of Music (Jeremy Daniel)

CHARACTERS

Film and Stage

Maria Rainer – Orphaned as a child, Maria is a spirited postulant at Nonnberg Abbey. She is warm and compassionate – a lover of music who doesn’t think twice about speaking her mind.
Captain Georg von Trapp – A distinguished, retired Naval Lieutenant Commander whose stern, regimented disposition represses a deep sadness from the loss of his wife.
The Mother Abbess – The leader and superior of Nonnberg Abbey, Mother Abbess sees the novices through the process of becoming a nun, guiding and inspiring them as they weigh their decision. Firm and authoritative, but also warm and compassionate.

Liesl – 16, going on 17. At that awkward age between childhood and adulthood, Liesl assumes a maternal role with her younger siblings. She is, however, still naïve and in need of her own guidance.
Friedrich – 14. Friedrich is the oldest boy in the family and remembers what the von Trapp house was like before his mother passed away. He is learning to be a confident man, but with his father often traveling, he lacks someone to show him how.
Louisa – 13. Missing her mother very much, Louisa has become quite skilled at playing tricks on the governesses, hiding toads in their pockets or giving the wrong name during introductions. But with Maria, it seems she’s met her match.
Kurt – 10, but almost 11. The youngest boy, Kurt is sensitive and pretends not to be hurt by his father’s absence. Though he misses his mother, Kurt greatly appreciates Maria from the start.
Brigitta – 9. Keenly observant for her age, she is thoughtful and, as she says, “cannot tell a lie.”
Marta – 7. Very honest and forthright, Marta likes to enjoy herself and would like a pink parasol for her birthday.
Gretl – 5. The youngest of the von Trapp children, Gretl is soft-spoken and shy, but sweet.

Rolf Gruber – 17, going on 18. Rolf is a delivery boy who is interested in Liesl. As an impressionable teen, he is aware of the growing political tension and is caught between his affection for Liesl and a need to prove his manhood.
Baroness Elsa Schraeder – A beautiful, cosmopolitan woman in her late thirties, she has her eyes set firmly on the Captain. She is a businesswoman, president of her late husband’s corporation, who feels the way to deal with the oncoming political situation is not to fight it and let it pass.
Max Detweiler – A charming impresario and friend of the Captain’s. A lover of the benefits of wealth, Max must decide where to draw his moral line in the face of danger.

Sister Berthe – The mistress of the novices. A follower of strict tradition and not a fan of nonsense.
Sister Margaretta – An empathetic nun who sees something good in Maria.
Sister Sophia – Another sister who isn’t sure what to do with Maria.
Sister Margaretta – An empathetic nun who sees something good in Maria.

Franz – The butler. A middle-aged man who was once the Captain’s orderly in the Imperial Navy, Franz is nervous about the rising political tension in Austria but knows he won’t be able to fight it.
Frau Schmidt – The housekeeper. Efficient and professional, she may appear stern, but she cares deeply for the Captain and wishes only for the family’s happiness.
Herr Zeller – Appointed Nazi official who is to prepare Austria for the Anschluss.
Admiral von Schrieber – A German admiral who is now working with the Nazi party to recruit Baron von Trapp. Only appears in the stage version.
Baron Elberfeld – Neighbor and friend of Captain von Trapp. He is of the oldest family in the valley.
Baroness Elberfeld – Baron Elberfeld’s wife.

Theodore Bikel and Mary Martin in the original Broadway production (1959) | The Sound of Music ©1965 20^th Century Studios, Inc.

SONGS

Stage 

(Songs in bold do NOT appear in the film version)

Act I

• “Preludium” – Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “The Sound of Music” – Maria
• “Maria”– Sisters Berthe, Sophia, Margaretta and the Mother Abbess
• “My Favorite Things”– Maria and the Mother Abbess
• “My Favorite Things (Reprise)” – Maria
• “Do-Re-Mi” – Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” – Rolf and Liesl
• “The Lonely Goatherd” – Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “How Can Love Survive?” – Max, Elsa and Captain von Trapp
• “The Sound of Music (Reprise)”– The von Trapp Children, Captain von Trapp and Maria
• “Laendler” – Instrumental
• “So Long, Farewell” – The von Trapp Children
• “Morning Hymn” – The Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” – The Mother Abbess and the Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey

Act II

• “The Lonely Goatherd (Reprise)” – Max and the von Trapp Children
• “My Favorite Things (Reprise II)” – Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “No Way to Stop It” – Elsa, Max, and Captain von Trapp
• “An Ordinary Couple” – Maria and Captain von Trapp
• “Gadeamus Domino” – The Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “Maria (Reprise)”– The Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “Confitemini Domino” – The Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “Sixteen Going on Seventeen (Reprise)” – Maria and Liesl
• “Do-Re-Mi (Reprise)” – Maria, Captain von Trapp and the von Trapp Children
• “Edelweiss (Reprise)” – Maria, Captain von Trapp and the von Trapp Children
• “So Long, Farewell (Reprise)”– Maria, Captain von Trapp and the von Trapp Children
• “Climb Ev’ry Mountain (Reprise)” – The Mother Abbess and the Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey

Film

(Songs in bold do NOT appear in the stage version)

Act I

• Prelude – Instrumental
• “The Sound of Music” – Maria
• Overture – Instrumental
• “Preludium (Dixit Dominus)” – Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “Morning Hymn” – Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “Alleluia” – Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey
• “Maria” – Sisters Margaretta, Berthe, Sophia and Mother Abbess
• “I Have Confidence” – Maria
• “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”– Rolf and Liesl
• “My Favorite Things” – Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “Do-Re-Mi” – Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “The Sound of Music (Reprise)” – The von Trapp Children and Captain von Trapp
• “The Lonely Goatherd” – Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “Edelweiss” – Captain von Trapp
• “Grand Waltz” – Instrumental
• “Laendler” – Instrumental
• “So Long, Farewell”– The von Trapp Children
• “Processional Waltz” – Instrumental
• “Goodbye Maria/How Can Love Survive Waltz” – Instrumental
• “Edelweiss Waltz” – Instrumental

Act II

• “Entr’acte” – Instrumental
• “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” – Mother Abbess
• “My Favorite Things (Reprise)” – Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “Something Good” – Maria and Captain von Trapp
• “Processional and Maria (The Wedding)” – Instrumental
• “Sixteen Going on Seventeen (Reprise)” – Liesl and Maria
• “Do-Re-Mi (Reprise)” – Maria, Captain von Trapp and the von Trapp Children
• “Edelweiss (Reprise)” – Captain von Trapp, Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “So Long, Farewell (Reprise)” – Captain von Trapp, Maria and the von Trapp Children
• “Climb Ev’ry Mountain (Reprise)” – Mother Abbess and Nuns of Nonnberg Abbey

©1965 20^th Century Studios, Inc.

DETAILS

Film and Stage

Opening: In contrast to the iconic opening of the film, the stage version rises on the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey singing the Preludium. The world of the play opens inside the Abbey walls, in front of a candlelit altar, a starkly different atmosphere from the film’s wide expanse of the Austrian Alps.

Adapted for the Screen: Following Oscar Hammerstein II’s death in 1960, Richard Rodgers was left to oversee the 1965 film adaptation alone. Rodgers adjusted the song order and replaced several musical numbers to better suit his and Robert Wise’s vision for the adaptation.

“My Favorite Things”: While film fans are used to Maria using “My Favorite Things” to comfort the von Trapp children during the thunderstorm, the song has a very different context in the stage version. On stage, the Mother Abbess comforts Maria with the song, addressing the young postulant’s fears of leaving the abbey and becoming a governess.

©1965 20^th Century Studios, Inc.

“I Have Confidence”: One of Rodgers’s solo compositions for the film, “I Have Confidence” serves as a transitionary number, taking Maria from postulant to governess. The song demonstrates Maria’s optimistic philosophy while seamlessly transporting the audience visually from the abbey to the von Trapp villa.

Musical Max and Elsa: In contrast to the film adaptation, in which Max and Elsa don’t sing at all, the stage version features the pair in two musical numbers, “How Can Love Survive?” and “No Way to Stop It.” The songs directly address issues of class, politics and morality. Filmmakers hoped to reinforce the cynicism of Max and Elsa by severing their connection to music, thus increasing their contrast to Maria, while the stage version uses their songs to expertly drive home their worldview.

Location, location, location: A benefit of film is that it opens endless possibilities for on-location shooting. Understandably, the stage version limits the settings of various scenes to drawing rooms and other interiors, whereas the film provides a visual and kinetic buffet of locations throughout Salzburg and Austria.

Rolf’s Redemption: Liesl’s ill-fated romance with Rolf is painfully punctuated in the film by Rolf’s decision to betray the location of the family in the midst of their escape from Austria. However, Rolf is a more sympathetic character in the stage version, ultimately helping the family.

Alpine Puppet Show: Bil and Cora Baird’s puppets, featured in “The Lonely Goatherd,” are a visually stunning component of the film. But recreating them is unnecessary for anyone hoping to produce the stage version. On stage, “The Lonely Goatherd” – not “My Favorite Things” – is the song Maria sings to comfort the von Trapp children during the thunderstorm.

Romance on the Screen vs. Stage: Maria and Captain von Trapp confessing their feelings to each other is a markedly romantic and delightful moment. But there are two options for producers of the stage version. Originally, Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote “An Ordinary Couple,” which espouses the delights of simply getting to be in love. When adapting the film, however, Rodgers replaced this number with “Something Good.” Both songs are available to licensees of current stage productions.

For more information about The Sound of Music and other transcendent musicals by Rodgers & Hammerstein, visit Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.