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Book cover of Sound of Music Companion
Actors & Actresses - Biography, Film Pictorials, Musical Theater/Broadway, Music Films and Musicals, Film Actresses - Biography

Sound of Music Companion

by Laurence Maslon
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Overview

The official companion to the world's most beloved musical

  • More than 150 stunning images from the film and theater productions worldwide — many never seen before
  • Complete lyrics to favorite songs from the musical
  • A complete guide to the film locations and a map of Salzburg
  • Unseen storyboards from the film
  • The Singalong Sound of Music phenomenon and much more...

The Sound of Music Companion charts the incredible and enduring life of Maria Von Trapp and the musical version of her story over the last century — from Maria's birth in Vienna in 1905 to the triumphant new stage production presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber in London in 2006. Retrace every step in the evolution of this masterwork, from real life to page to stage to film to international phenomenon, and read about every creative artist who helped shape this beloved musical tale — from Rodgers and Hammerstein and Mary Martin to Robert Wise, Julie Andrews, and Christopher Plummer. Folded into the saga are guest appearances by Carol Burnett, John Coltrane, Noël Coward, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Gwen Stefani, among others.

Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II joined forces in 1942 to create the most successful partnership in American musical theater. In addition to The Sound of Music (1959), their prodigious output includes Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), and The King and I (1951). Their musicals have earned nearly three dozen Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, and two Grammy Awards.

The partnership ofHoward Lindsay and Russel Crouse stands as the longest collaboration of any writers in theatrical history, lasting for more than twenty-eight years. Their hits include The Sound of Music; Anything Goes; Red, Hot and Blue; Call Me Madam; the long-running play Life With Father; the Pulitzer Prize-winning State of the Union; and Happy Hunting.

About the Author, Laurence Maslon


Laurence Maslon is an associate arts professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He is the coauthor, with Michael Kantor, of the acclaimed companion volume to the Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary series Broadway: The American Musical, for which he also cowrote two episodes. He also wrote the American Masters documentary on Richard Rodgers and was senior consultant on the fortieth-anniversary DVD release of The Sound of Music. He lives in New York City and on Long Island with his wife, Genevieve, and their dog, Ruby.

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Editorials

Library Journal

Although there have been books about the making of the film version of The Sound of Music, multiple works on Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals, and others about Maria von Trapp and the Trapp Family Singers, Maslon (arts, NYU; coauthor, Broadway: The American Musical) uses the opportunity of a current London revival of this popular American musical to bring these stories together. Interweaving the threads of historical narrative about the von Trapp family, the professional lives of the creative geniuses behind the scenes, production anecdotes, and the phenomenal cultural impact of the show, Maslon covers the century, from Maria's birth in Austria in 1905 to Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest London stage production in 2006. Illustrations include von Trapp family photos, historical documents, original design sketches, early lyrics, and production notes, as well as publicity shots from various international stage productions and scenes from the film. This coffee-table companion volume will help fans enjoy the show to its fullest. Highly recommended for popular theater collections.
—Laura A. Ewald

Book Details

Published
June 6, 2026
Publisher
Touchstone
Pages
192
Format
Hardcover, 2007
ISBN
9781416549543

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