   the sound of music (1959) is a musical with music by richard rodgers, lyrics by oscar hammerstein ii and a book by howard lindsay and russel crouse. it is based on the memoir of maria von trapp, the story of the trapp family singers. many songs from the musical have become standards, such as "edelweiss", "my favorite things", "climb ev'ry mountain", "do-re-mi", and the title song "the sound of music". the original broadway production, starring mary martin and theodore bikel, opened on november 16, 1959; the original london production opened at the palace theatre on may 18, 1961 starring jean bayless and roger dann. the show has enjoyed numerous productions and revivals since then. it was adapted as a 1965 film musical starring julie andrews and christopher plummer, which won five academy awards. the sound of music was the final musical written by rodgers and hammerstein; hammerstein died of cancer nine months after the broadway premiere. ==history== after viewing the trapp family, a 1956 west german film about the von trapp family, and its 1958 sequel (die trapp-familie in amerika), stage director vincent j. donehue thought that the project would be perfect for his friend mary martin; broadway producers leland hayward and richard halliday (martin's husband) agreed.nolan, 244 the producers originally envisioned a non-musical play that would be written by lindsay and crouse and that would feature songs from the repertoire of the trapp famil
1959_musicals Broadway_musicals Musicals_by_Rodgers_and_Hammerstein Musicals_inspired_by_real-life_events Nuns_in_fiction Plays_set_in_Austria Salzburg The_Sound_of_Music Tony_Award_for_Best_Musical Trapp_family West_End_musicals