Carrie Underwood will try to fill Julie Andrew's shoes as she plays Maria in a live performance of “The Sound of Music.” A mix of feelings about the country star filing the role have been expressed by fans, but Julie Andrews herself has given Underwood a mark of approval, and had nothing but praise for her.
"Fifty years later, it's time somebody had another crack at it," Andrews told Zap2It. "I had the best time of my life doing it, and it did wonderful things for me. I think it's great that it's being done again, but doing it live must be so daunting for Carrie."
Underwood won't have to fill the exact role of Andrews, however, as her adaption will be based off the Broadway show, not the 1965 film version. "I know they're not doing the movie, though. They're doing the Broadway show - that's what they have the rights to - and I don't know whether it will resonate similarly. In the movie, we cut some things from the stage version and added some songs.” Andrews added of Underwood, "It's a lovely piece, and I do hope it works for Carrie, because she's lovely and I'm a fan. I wish her well."
CBS News reports that Underwood will perform alongside Stephen Moyer (True Blood) as Captain Von Trapp, Audra McDonald as Mother Abbess, Christan Borle as Max Detweiler and Laura Benanti as Elsa Shrader.
Take a sneak peak at The Sound of Music Live, which will air Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, below.
Image: YouTube screen shot