'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.

Carrie Underwood will be playing 'Maria'

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.

Stephen Moyer plays 'Captain von Trapp'

"It's inevitable that I'll be compared to Julie," she says. "And that's unfortunate for me, because she's Julie Andrews and this is her most iconic role."

However, Mrs Andrews, herself, has publically supported Carrie, "Fifty years later, it's time somebody had another crack at it," the 78-year-old 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 Carrie."

The live television extravaganza will air on NBA this Thursday night (Dec 5th), starting at 8pm.

Will the live TV performance do justice to the 1965 movie Julie Andrews starred in as 'Maria'?