NBC already planning annual musicals following ‘The Sound of Music Live’ success
In news that should really come as a surprise to no one, NBC has decided that following the incredible success of “The Sound of Music Live,” they are going to do everything in their power to bring some more live stage events to your television screens.
Speaking to the New York Times today following the huge ratings success of the event starring Carrie Underwood (which got mixed reviews, mostly thanks to the “American Idol” winner’s acting abilities), Robert Greenblatt said the plan is to currently try to get another production together. As a matter of fact, the network is already considering some others to bring to the small screen for a similar live event.
However, Greenblatt also noted that the best thing to do right now is to leverage expectations. The first one may have been a huge success just because it was something so new, and there is no guarantee moving forward that the next few are going to be able to reach a similar level of success:
“There may be a little bit of a phenomenon to the first one of these. Who knows what happens Year 2, 3, or 4?”
The model seems to now already be set in stone in order to make some more of these. The first thing that they should do is find a popular music out there that the majority of people already know, and then cast a big-name star in the lead role who has some considerable vocal abilities to handle the big notes. From there, surround them with Broadway veterans, strong directors, and some of the best designers in the business. One of the great things about “The Sound of Music” was that even though Carrie had almost no acting experience, they were careful to surround her with everyone who could help to guide her and turn this into as warm and as wonderful of an environment as possible.
What musical do you want to see NBC plan next, and do you think that there is a hope that this could become a successful annual tradition? Share some of your thoughts below!
Photo: NBC