The Sound of Music

One of the most beloved musical productions of all time is coming to you in Istana Budaya this December—but do you know the true story behind it?

- Koyyi Chin

From December 27 onwards till January 15, the world-renowned Broadway production of The Sound of Music will be performed onstage at Istana Budaya, presented by Base Entertainment Asia.

Based on the memoir of Maria Augusta von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, the iconic musical-turned-film was released in 1965, starring Dame Julie Andrews as Maria herself and Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp.

Inspired by a true story that won the hearts of many, it originally began with retired naval officer Georg von Trapp visiting Salzburg’s Nonnberg Abbey, who wanted to find a suitable tutor for his second-oldest daughter, Maria Franziska von Trapp, who contracted scarlet fever and could no longer walk the four-mile distance to school. There, he met 21-year-old Maria Augusta Kutschera, who was trained at the Vienna’s State Teachers College for Progressive Education and was chosen to tutor young Maria. Not surprisingly, this particular detail deviates greatly from the adaptations on both Broadway and film, which depicts Maria Augusta as a governess for all the children.