The Sound of Music Replaces Doctor Dolittle as The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Holiday Musical
Tour Producers for Doctor Dolittle Cancel the Seattle Run
The Sound of Music Show Dates: Nov. 29 – Dec 18, 2005
Opening/Press Night: December 1, 2005
SEATTLE — The 5th Avenue Theatre has just learned from the tour producers that the Seattle engagement of DOCTOR DOLITTLE has been cancelled. Once alerted, The 5th Avenue Theatre staff made the decision to fast-track plans already in the works for the 2006 holiday season. The 5th Avenue Theatre will instead bring Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved stage musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC to Seattle audiences a year early. Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon says, “We have wanted to do this show for years and are thrilled that we get to produce THE SOUND OF MUSIC a little earlier than expected. Everything fell into place. We are getting to produce the show we want, the way we want, with the gorgeous sets, costumes and 37 member cast we want. The fact that we get to do this at the holidays during the 40th anniversary year of the film is an added bonus!”
David Armstrong, producing artistic director for The 5th Avenue Theatre, elaborates, “anyone who works in theater needs to be flexible. Shows can unexpectedly be cancelled for any number of reasons. The trick to remaining successful in the theater business is to be creative, be resourceful, and to never let your audience down. The 5th Avenue Theatre staff is committed to doing all of these things. We are disappointed that DOCTOR DOLITTLE will not make it to Seattle for the holidays but now our focus is on putting together the most fantastic holiday production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC that Seattle area audiences have ever seen.”
The 5th Avenue Theatre is notifying subscription ticket holders and alerting them of the change. Subscribers, and non-subscribers who purchased individual tickets, are instructed to use their original DOCTOR DOLITTLE tickets to attend THE SOUND OF MUSIC on the same performance date.
Tickets to THE SOUND OF MUSIC go on sale Friday, October 21, 2005 and range in price from $19-$71. Tickets are available over the phone through Ticketmaster at (206) 292-ARTS (2787), online at ticketmaster.com or in person at any Ticketmaster Ticket Center as well as The 5th Avenue Theatre Box Office, 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle. There is no service charge when purchasing tickets in person at The 5th Avenue Theatre Box Office.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC is based on the true story of the Trapp family singers who fled their native Austria to escape the Nazi regime. The family’s story was first told in a 1949 novel by the Baroness von Trapp titled The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The idea for a stage version first came about after a 1956 German film about the Trapp family was released. That early film was a hit in Germany and was screened by Vincent Donehue, an American TV and Broadway producer/director. Donehue believed the story to be a perfect vehicle for a musical, especially if tailored to fit theater star Mary Martin. Martin and her husband, producer Richard Halliday, embraced the project and sought assistance from producer Leland Hayward. Hayward brought on Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse to write the libretto, and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II to write the music and lyrics. Finally, in late 1959, THE SOUND OF MUSIC opened on Broadway to raves from both audiences and critics. In 1965, a film version of the musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer was released and won five Academy Awards including Best Picture of the Year. The film had an extended engagement at The 5th Avenue Theatre, during its movie palace days in the late 1960s.
Please contact Jennifer Rice, Public Relations Manager, at 206-625-1418 with press questions or to schedule individual interviews. THE SOUND OF MUSIC photos will be available December 1, 2005.