Audra McDonald, Michael Ball, Daniel Dae Kim and more discuss their earliest memory of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s iconic music.
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TRANSCRIPT
I think my earliest memory of Rodgers and Hammerstein was probably seeing “Sound of Music, ” you know, it would come on every year.
“The Sound of Music ” with Julie Andrews was on repeat in my household from the time I was in second grade.
“Sound of Music ” is always being played in the Philippines every Christmas and I never fail to watch it.
The whole family would sit down and watch that movie all together, literally for maybe ten years straight.
So I know almost every word.
As a little tiny boy being taken to the cinema by my mom and my dad and sitting there and the opening of “The Sound of Music.
” I've got goosebumps as we're talking about it, going through the clouds, going through down there, and there she is, the magnificent Dame Julie Andrews, doing a twirl, launching into the “Hills Are Alive.
” And I just sat there and I didn't move.
And I said to my mum, Can we go back again tomorrow?
We went repeatedly.
I had the record permanently playing.
I would perform every song for everybody at any opportunity at the drop of a hat.
It was magical.
The one song that we used to sing as a family was “Edelweiss.
” I had a music box that played “Edelweiss ” that my uncle gave me when I was a baby, and so “Edelweiss ” was playing in my, my nursery, Even though.
you know, we're from Korea, we had nothing to do with Austria.
You know, that was a song that crossed over and we would sing about this little white flower.
I wanted to be a Von Trapp family singer.
Why would those kids able to do it?
I want to be tearing down the curtains and making lederhosen.
It was what I was meant to do in life, and I honestly think it was kind of the thing that made me go, I want to do this.
I want to be part of this.
