Melissa Errico, the Tony-nominated star of Amour, heads the cast as Maria von Trapp, the role created onstage by Mary Martin and later immortalized on screen by Julie Andrews. She will be joined at the Bowl by John Schneider as Captain von Trapp; Rachel York as Elsa Shraeder; Andrea Bowen as Liesl; Benjamin Platt as Friedrich; Mary Catherine Hughes as Louisa; Andrew Hoeft as Kurt; Justine Dorsey as Brigitta; Emma Ashford as Marta; Anza Seller as Gretl; Stephen Breithaupt as Franz, the butler; Marianne Muellerleile as Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper; David Larsen as Rolf Gruber; Jeffrey Tambor as Max Detweiler; and Marni Nixon as Mother Abbess.
Hunt directs the three performances (July 28 and 29 at 8:30 PM, July 30 at 7:30 PM), which feature choreography by Kay Cole. John Mauceri conducts the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is the latest musical to be presented at the Bowl, following acclaimed presentations of Camelot (2005), Mame (2004), My Fair Lady (2003) and The Music Man (2002).
The Sound of Music originally opened at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Nov. 1959. Mary Martin headed a cast that also included Theodore Bikel and Patricia Neway. Julie Andrews starred in the award-winning film, and the most recent Broadway revival featured Rebecca Luker as the beloved Maria von Trapp. The classic Rodgers and Hammerstein score boasts such tunes as "Do Re Mi," "My Favorite Things," "The Sound of Music" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."
Melissa Errico began her professional career portraying Cosette in Les Misérables, and she followed with leading roles in Anna Karenina, My Fair Lady, High Society, Amour, Dracula and the City Center Encores! productions of Call Me Madam and One Touch of Venus. She appeared in a production of Threepenny Opera at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Errico's recent Off-Broadway credits include Finian's Rainbow and Aunt Dan and Lemon. She also starred in the Hollywood Bowl presentation of Camelot. Errico's debut solo recording was titled "Blue Like That." The Hollywood Bowl is located at 2301 Highland Avenue in Hollywood, CA. Visit www.hollywoodbowl.org for more information.
