Friday, November 1, 2013

Joe West Joins NBC's "The Sound of Music Live!" Cast Includes Michael Park, John Bolger

Proud mom Maura West (Ava, GENERAL HOSPITAL) with her son,
Joe, whose star is rising fast. Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos
After an exhaustive nationwide search, seven talented young actors have won the coveted roles of the von Trapp children in NBC's musical production of "The Sound of Music Live!"

The three-hour telecast airs Thursday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

"The Sound of Music Live!" stars six-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood as Maria and TRUE BLOOD star Stephen Moyer as Capt. Georg von Trapp. Moyer recently headlined in the stage version of the musical "Chicago" at the Hollywood Bowl.

Also co-starring are Tony Award winners Audra McDonald (Mother Abbess), Laura Benanti (Elsa Schrader) and Christian Borle (Max Dettweiler).

Ella Watts-Gorman as Luisa, Sophia Caruso as Brigitta, Grace Rundhaug
 as Marta, Michael Nigro as Friedrich, Carrie Underwood as Maria,
Ariane Rinehart as Liesl, Peyton Ella as Gretl, Joe West as Kurt
Photo Credit: Giovanni Rufino/NBC
The young cast set to play the von Trapp children are Ariane Rinehart (Liesl), Michael Nigro (Fredrich), Ella Watts-Gorman (Louisa), Joe West (Kurt), Sophia Caruso (Brigitta), Grace Rundhaug (Marta) and Peyton Ella as young Gretl.

Additional cast includes are Jessica Molaskey as Sister Berthe and Elena Shaddow as Sister Sophia. Cast as nuns are Georgia Stitt, Ashley Brown, Paula Leggett Chase, Linda Mugleston, Margot de La Barre, Laura Shoop, Sydney Morton, Wendi Bergamini, Cameron Adams, Rema Webb, Rayanne Gonzales, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Adrienne Danrich, Autumn Hurlbert, Catherine Brunell, Leah Horowitz, Gina Ferrall, Nikki Renee Daniels, Joy Hermalyn and Stowe Brown.

Tony nominee Kristine Nielsen will play Frau Schmidt, with Sean Cullen as Franz, Michael Campayno as Rolf, CJ Wilson as Herr Zeller, Catherine Brunell as Frau Zeller, Michael Park (ex-Jack, AS THE WORLD TURNS) as Baron Elberfeld, Chase as Baroness Elberfeld, Brown as Ursula and John Bolger (ex-Gabe, ANOTHER WORLD) as Admiral Von Schrieber.

Also featured are Shannon Lewis, Samantha Zack, Megan Sikora, Matt Wall, Ward Billisen, Marty Lawson, Alex Michael Stoll, Bob Gaynor, Karl Warden, Brandon Henschal, David Hull, Charlie Williams and Jennie Ford.

The live holiday spectacular is based on the original 1959 Broadway production of "The Sound of Music," starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The iconic story centers on a young woman who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the seven children of a naval officer widower.

"The Sound of Music Live!" is executive produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan. Beth McCarthy-Miller and Rob Ashford serve as co-directors. "The Sound of Music Live!" is produced by Universal Television.

RELATED:
- SPOTTED: Maura West & Scott DeFreitas at "Sleepless in Seattle - The Musical"

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