Executive-produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, The Sound of Music Live!  premiered on NBC Dec. 5, 2013. The broadcast was a ratings blockbuster and was viewed by over 18 million people.

Read reviews of the broadcast here.

The Sound of Music Live! was co-directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller and Rob Ashford. The telecast of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical 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.

Grammy winner Underwood played Maria opposite  “True Blood” star Stephen Moyer as Capt. Georg von Trapp with Tony Award winners McDonald (Ragtime, Master Class) as Mother Abbess, Benanti (Gypsy, Women on the Verge) as Elsa Schrader and Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher, "Smash") as Max Dettweiler.

The principal cast and members of the creative team shared their "Favorite Things" about The Sound of Music with Playbill.com. The cast also features Tony nominee Christiane Noll as Sister Margaretta, Jessica Molaskey as Sister Berthe and Elena Shaddow as Sister Sophia. Tony nominee Kristine Nielsen plays Frau Schmidt, with Sean Cullen as Franz, Michael Campayno as Rolf, CJ Wilson as Herr Zeller, Catherine Brunell as Frau Zeller, Michael Park as Baron Elberfeld, Chase as Baroness Elberfeld, Brown as Ursula and John Bolger as Admiral Von Schrieber.

View Playbill.com's PHOTO CALL with exclusive images from the cast in rehearsal.

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.

Playing the von Trapp children are Ariane Rinehart (Liesl), Michael Nigro (Fredrich), Ella Watts-Gorman (Louisa), Joe West (Kurt), Sophia Anne Caruso (Brigitta), Grace Rundhaug (Marta) and Peyton Ella as young Gretl.

Also featured are Jake Boyd, 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 creative team included production designer Derek McLane, art director Kevin Rupnik and assistant art director Aimee Dombo.

The Sound of Music Live! was produced by Universal Television.

In response to the success of the special event, NBC returned this year with Peter Pan Live! Read more about the event here.