The Sound of Music - The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical (Applause Books) (Applause Libretto Library) [Paperback]

Howard Lindsay (Author), Russel Crouse (Author), Oscar Hammerstein II (Composer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2010 | Series: Applause Libretto Library

The final collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein was destined to become the world's most beloved musical. When a 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 growing rapport with the youngsters, coupled with her generosity of spirit, gradually captures the heart of the stern Captain, and they marry. Upon returning from their honeymoon they discover that Austria has been invaded by the Nazis, who demand the Captain's immediate service in their navy. The family's narrow escape over the mountains to Switzerland on the eve of World War II provides one of the most thrilling and inspirational finales ever presented in the theatre. The motion picture version remains the most popular movie musical of all time.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Howard Lindsay is a Hal Leonard author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books (March 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423490797
• ISBN-13: 978-1423490791
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Hammerstein
  • #22 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Modern Popular
  • #22 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Musicals

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE STAGE SCRIPT & LYRICS OF "THE SOUND OF MUSIC""", January 10, 2012

By 

DEWEY M. "MOVIE & MUSICAL THEATRE MAN" (ELLENSBURG, WA,) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Sound of Music - The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical (Applause Books) (Applause Libretto Library) (Paperback)

While searching for the stage script and lyrics for "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" (which I never did find); I "accidentally found" this stage script for "The Sound Of Music." I decided to purchase it and I'm very glad I did. I wish this were a hardcover edition, but BRAVO to Applause Books, nevertheless, for publishing a handsome and sturdy Paperback edition.

Yes, this is the stage script of Rodgers and Hammerstein's critically reviled but universally adored final musical. This is the script as performed by the Original Broadway Cast in 1959. So don't look for the songs "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good." Those were written for the 1965 movie version and sometimes interpolated into later stage revivals. The reader or "The Sound Of Music" fan will find a few surprises inside, however.

Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse were the playwrights who transformed the Trapp Family Saga into "The Sound Of Music": A Musical Fairy Tale." Rodgers and Hammerstein provided the beloved songs we now know by heart. But the atmosphere was bittersweet (Hammerstein was dying of cancer and passed away six months after the Broadway Premiere) and the script became bittersweet. Timothy Crouse, Russel's son, provides a detailed introduction; recalling his emotional reaction after reading the script for the first time; months before anyone else saw the show or heard the songs on stage. Oddly, Timothy never mentions Mary Martin, the star the show was created for in the first place, at all.

Timothy does not care for the 1965 movie version. He has a point there; since Ernest Lehman's screenplay re-arranges and in several instances removes a lot of the hard work his father and the rest of the creative team did for the stage play. In the stage play, the political threat of the Nazis is much more pronounced and front and center. The Captain and Elsa break up because she thinks the Nazis should be accomodated; and then they will likely disappear. In the movie, Elsa (portrayed in particularly abrasive- annoying fashion by Eleanor Parker) is a Wicked Witch; jealous of perky nun-governess Maria (played by a perfectly cast Julie Andrews). The movie removes the two cynical songs for Max and Elsa; "How Can Love Survive?" and "No Way To Stop It"; the two songs which balanced out the sticky-sweet elements of the plot. With Lehman's Screenplay removing anything cynical and bittersweet, director Robert Wise was left with merely sweetness and light. Wise and his Director of Photography Ted McCord managed to create a movie that is visually stunning and often breath-taking. The movie also features an exuberant performance by Julie Andrews and a crabby, distracted and disinterested performance by Christopher Plummer. Somehow, Wise makes everything work in pure cinematic terms but "The Sound Of Music" makes more dramatic and logical sense on stage.

The book also features a Pictorial History of "The Sound Of Music." Photos include: Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel in the original 1959 Broadway Production, the real Maria Von Trapp pictured, at various times, with Mary Martin, Florence Henderson, Robert Wise and Christopher Plummer; Julie Andrews, having a personal and professional triumph in the movie version; photos from the first Austrian production in 2005, and Connie Fisher from the 2007 London Revival. In the strange photo provided from the 1998 Broadway Revival, Rebecca Luker looks like a mean, nasty Maria who would rather kill co-star Michael Siberry (as Captain Von Trapp) instead of kiss and marry him! Whoever is your "favorite Maria", this book allows the reader to have "The Sound Of Music" as they like it and want it; all in the theatre of imagination.

2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful! So dissapointed, June 3, 2011

By 

Gary Michael Slemp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sound of Music - The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical (Applause Books) (Applause Libretto Library) (Kindle Edition)

When I bought this book I was so exited because I love the movie. This is not the book at all. Worst book ever. What I found is a bunch of noncence about how the movie was made!!!!!