CBC TV to Lead Cross-Canada Search for ‘Maria’ Through Broadcast of “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” July & August 2008

North American Premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian’s smash-hit new London production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
Performances Begin September 2008 at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre

Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and David Mirvish will present the North American Premiere of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian smash-hit new London production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC.  Playing at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre, the production will begin performances in September 2008 and be the anchor show of the 2008-09 Mirvish Subscription Season.

Like the critically acclaimed and immensely popular London West End production, the leading role of Maria in the Canadian production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC will be cast by the public through a television program that will be broadcast nationally on the CBC network.  Auditions for the TV program will begin in February 2008 across Canada and will culminate in an eight-part primetime series to be shown in July and August 2008.  The people’s choice for Maria will immediately join rehearsals for the stage production.  The rest of the production will be cast from the finest theatrical talent in Canada.

With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp), THE SOUND OF MUSIC is one of the most beloved musicals of all time.  The film adaptation of the original 1959 Broadway production won five Oscars, including Best Picture 1965.

The score for THE SOUND OF MUSIC touches the hearts of all ages and brims over with some of the most memorable songs ever performed on the musical stage including My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Edelweiss, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd and of course the glorious title song The Sound of Music.

This timeless family classic will be overseen in Canada by director Jeremy Sams, choreographer Arlene Philips and designer Robert Jones, all of who won raves from the London critics for their superb work on the West End production.

The role of Maria, described by many as “the biggest job in show business,” is pivotal to the success of THE SOUND OF MUSIC.  It needs a performer with amazing vocal talent, compelling acting abilities and remarkable stage presence that also exudes youth and vitality.  A bright new talent brings a whole new dimension to the role, especially if that talent is discovered and chosen by the audience. 

This is what happened in the UK with the BBC TV program “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?”  The program became the highest-rated of its kind in the broadcaster’s history, and that popularity carried on to the stage production at the legendary London Palladium, setting box office records and creating a bona fide star of Connie Fisher, the young woman who was chosen by the British public to star as Maria.

26th September 2007