Broadway Legends Meet
The Sound of Music enjoyed a successful run after its 1959 Broadway opening. Despite Boston critic Elliot Norton decrying it as, “silliness, stiffness and corny operetta falseness of the script,” it had record-breaking ticket sales. But even more special, star Mary Martin had the support of the most important critic of the time. During the previews in New Haven and Boston, a woman would stand up and offer vibrant applause.
The same woman stood up as soon as Martin took her Sound of Music curtain call at the Broadway premier. The woman was the real Maria Von Trapp, the real-life inspiration for Martin’s character. Her enthusiastic reception of the musical and Martin’s depiction of her onstage led to this special backstage moment when Mary met her real-life counterpart.