Profile of a Performer: Mary Martin

The Sound of Music was originally conceived and developed as a project for the popular Broadway actress Mary Martin. So, who was Mary Martin? Mary Virginia Martin was born December 1, 1913, in Weatherford, Texas.  According to her autobiography, her childhood was “happy and secure.”  She was a tomboy and enjoyed keeping her family entertained. Read More

The Sound of Music

Theaters this week are celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music. The film version, starring a then-unknown Julie Andrews and primarily stage performer Christopher Plummer, of the musical first hit theaters in 1965. The stage version first premiered six years earlier in 1959, with Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, in the title roles. Read More

Behind the Song: Edelweiss

Edelweiss is the popular ballad from the musical The Sound of Music.   This was the last song written for the musical. Edelweiss is a white flower found high in the Austrian Alps and was the inspiration for the waltz. The song was written as a vehicle for Captain Von Trapp, played by Theodore Bikel in Read More

Behind the Song: My Favorite Things

My Favorite Things is another song from a popular musical, The Sound of Music,  that is often heard at Christmas although there is no mention of Christmas in the song. The popularity at Christmas is most likely due to the winter-related imagery of “snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, silver white winters that Read More