Elizabeth Howell(1914-1999)

Stage Play: The Sound of Music. Musical. Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Based on "The Trapp Family Singers" by Maria Augusta Trapp. Musical Director: Frederick Dvonch. Music orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett. Choral arrangements by Trude Rittman. Musical staging by Joe Layton. Scenic Design by Oliver Smith. Costume Design by Lucinda Ballard. Directed by Vincent J. Donehue. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (moved to The Mark Hellinger Theatre from 6 Nov 1962- close): 16 Nov 1959- 15 Jun 1963 (1443 performances + 5 previews). Cast: Mary Martin (as "Maria Rainer, a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey"), Theodore Bikel (as "Captain Georg von Trapp"), Kurt Kasznar (as "Max Detweiler"), Marion Marlowe (as "Elsa Schraeder"), Patricia Neway (as "The Mother Abbess"), Joanne Birks (as "Ensemble"), Patricia Brooks (as "Ensemble"), June Card (as "Ensemble"), Dorothy Dallas (as "Ensemble"), Brian Davies (as "Rolf Gruber"), Ceil Delli (as "Ensemble"), Kathy Dunn (as "Louisa von Trapp:), Luce Ennis (as "Ursula, a maid/Ensemble"), Cleo Fry (as "Ensemble"), Barbara George (as "Ensemble"), Stefan Gierasch (as "Herr Zeller"), Michael Gorrin (as "Admiral von Schreiber"), Joey Heatherton (as "Ensemble"), Lucas Hoving (as "Ensemble"), Elizabeth Howell (as "Sister Berthe, Mistress of Novices"), Patricia Kelly (as "Ensemble"), Maria Kova (as "Ensemble"), Evanna Lien (as "Gretl von Trapp"), Mary Susan Locke (as "Marta von Trapp"), Nan McFarland (as "Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper"), Shirley Mendonca (as "Ensemble"), Kathy Miller (as "Ensemble"), Lorna Nash (as "Ensemble"), Muriel O'Malley (as "Sister Margaretta, Mistress of Postulants"), Lauri Peters (as "Liesl von Trapp"), Keith Prentice (as "Ensemble"), John Randolph (as "Franz, the butler"), Nancy Reeves (as "Ensemble"), Marilyn Rogers (as "Brigitta von Trapp"), Bernice Saunders (as "Ensemble"), Connie Sharman (as "Ensemble"), Karen Shepard (as "Sister Sophia"), Kirby Smith (as "Baron Elberfeld"), William Snowden (as "Friedrich von Trapp"), Gloria Stevens (as "Ensemble"), Joseph Stewart (as "Kurt von Trapp"), Tatiana Troyanos (as "Ensemble"), Mimi Vondra (as "Ensemble"), Sue Yaeger (as "A Postulant"). Standbys: Renée Guérin (as "Maria Rainer") and Kenneth Harvey (as "Captain Georg von Trapp"). Understudies: Dorothy Dallas (as "Sister Berthe"), David Gress (as "Friedrich von Trapp/Kurt von Trapp"), Joey Heatherton (as "Liesl von Trapp/Louisa von Trapp"), Lucas Hoving (as "Herr Zeller"), Elizabeth Howell (as "Frau Schmidt/The Mother Abbess"), Sheppard Kerman (as "Max Detweiler"), Maria Kova (as "Sister Sophia"), Mary Susan Locke (as "Brigitta von Trapp"), Keith Prentice (as "Rolf Gruber"), Nancy Reeves (as "Sister Margaretta"), Karen Shepard (as "Elsa Schraeder"), Kirby Smith (as "Admiral von Schreiber/Franz") and Frances Underhill (as "Gretl von Trapp/Marta von Trapp"). Replacement cast [during Lunt-Fontanne Theatre run]: Maureen Bailey (as "Ensemble"), Jay Barney (as "Franz, the butler"), Richard Carafa (as "Kurt von Trapp"), Jeannie Carson (as "Maria Rainer, a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey") [from ? Jul 1962- ?], Imelda De Martin (as "Ensemble/Liesl von Trapp"), Nancy Dussault (as "Maria Rainer, a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey") [from ? Sep 1962- ?], Helen Feit (as "Ensemble"), Dan Ferrone (as "Ensemble"), Catherine Gale (as "Ensemble"), Geraldine Gale (as "Ensemble"), Ann Gardner (as "Ensemble"), Barbara Gregory (as "Ensemble"), Sarah Hageman (as "Ensemble"), Elizabeth Howell (as "The Mother Abbess"), Lois Hunt (as "Elsa Schraeder"), Tommy Leap (as "Kurt von Trapp"), Valerie Lee (as "Gretl von Trapp"), Sara Letton (as "A Postulant/Ensemble"), Nadine Lewis (as "Sister Margaretta, Mistress of Postulants"), Evanna Lien (as "Marta von Trapp"), Paul Lipson (as "Max Detweiler"), Mary Susan Locke (as "Brigitta von Trapp"), Milton Luchan (as "Herr Zeller"), Marissa Mason (as "Liesl von Trapp"), Laura Michaels (as "Gretl von Trapp"), Jen Nelson (as "Elsa Schraeder"), Nita Novy (as "Brigitta von Trapp"), Lizabeth Pritchett (as "Sister Berthe, Mistress of Novices/The Mother Abbess"), Lu Ann Ragle (as "Ensemble"), Bernice Saunders (as "Ursula, a maid"), Donald Scott (as "Captain Georg von Trapp"), Leslie Smith (as "Gretl von Trapp"), Royston Thomas (as "Friedrich von Trapp"), Webb Tilton (as "Baron Elberfeld"), Ronnie Tourso (as "Friedrich von Trapp"), Peter Van Hattum (as "Rolf Gruber"), Jay Velie (as "Admiral von Schreiber"), Gina Viglione (as "Ensemble"), Jon Voight (as "Rolf Gruber") [Broadway debut], Arthur Warren (as "Friedrich von Trapp"), Connie Webber (as "Ensemble"), Mitzi Wilson (as "Ensemble"), Martha Wright (as "Maria Rainer, a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey") [from ? Oct 1961 - ?]. Standby: Barbara Meister (as "Maria Rainer"). Understudies: Maureen Bailey (as "Liesl von Trapp"), Imelda De Martin (as "Liesl von Trapp/Louisa von Trapp"), Kenny Doré (as "Friedrich von Trapp/Kurt von Trapp"), Dan Ferrone (as "Rolf Gruber"), Cleo Fry (as "Sister Berthe"), Sarah Hageman (as "Frau Schmidt"), Valerie Lee (as "Gretl von Trapp/Marta von Trapp"), Sara Letton (as "Liesl von Trapp"), Evanna Lien (as "Marta von Trapp/Brigitta von Trapp"), Shirley Mendonca (as "Sister Sophia"), Steven Meyer (as "Herr Zeller"), Laura Michaels (as "Gretl von Trapp/Marta von Trapp"), Patty Michaels (as "Louisa von Trapp"), Lizabeth Pritchett (as "The Mother Abbess"), Wayne Sullivan (as "Friedrich von Trapp/Kurt von Trapp"), Webb Tilton (as "Admiral von Schreiber/Franz/Herr Zeller"). [During Mark Hellinger Theatre run]: Nancy Dussault (as "Maria Rainer, a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey"). Understudy: Phil Proctor [credited as Philip Proctor] (as "Rolf Gruber") [earliest Broadway credit]. Produced by Leland Hayward, Richard Halliday, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Note: Filmed by Robert Wise Productions/Argyle Enterprises [distributed by Twentieth Century Fox] as The Sound of Music (1965).