'The Sound Of Music' Is Set To Return In A LIVE TV Performance On NBC

NBC has a big night ahead of them on Thursday (Dec Thurs 5th) as the live broadcast of the musical 'The Sound Of Music Live!' will take place. The forthcoming production will star Carrie Underwood as 'Maria,' a role that British actress Julie Andrews made famous in the 1965 feature film.

True Blood's Stephen Moyer will take on the role of 'Captain von Trapp', an Austrian naval hero who begins to fall in love with the free-spirited nun 'Maria.'

This live production is adapted from the Broadway Musical and marks 50 years since a live broadcast of a theatre production has took place.

Neil Moran, the producer of the live event, said (via NY Daily News), "No one does this on television, there's no safety net."

Moran adds, "Live theatre on television is almost unheard of, Bob Greenblatt (NBC Entertainment President) is taking a big risk, and I can tell you that other networks are watching. Broadcast TV is looking for live 'events,' things that make viewers tune in while they're happening. ... It also makes advertisers happy, because they can't fast-forward through the commercials."

Underwood, who has frequently been receiving hate tweets from disgruntled fans that think she isn't good enough to follow Julie Andrews, understands there will always be comparisons.