The Sound of Music (film) of the film; the actor accepted after being assured that he could work with Lehman to improve the character; Plummer later described himself as having become quite arrogant at the time, "spoiled by too many great theater roles". Wise also spent considerable time and effort on casting the secondary characters. For the role of Max Detweiler, Wise initially considered Victor Borge, Noël Coward, and Hal Holbrook among others before deciding on Richard Haydn. For the character of Baroness Elsa Schraeder, Wise looked for a "name" actress—Andrews and Plummer were not yet widely known to film audiences—and decided on Eleanor Parker.
The Sound of Music Live (2015) British television and theatre, including Alexander Armstrong as Max Detweiler, Katherine Kelly as Baroness Elsa Schraeder, Maria Friedman as Mother Abess, Evelyn Hoskins as Liesl von Trapp, Jon Tarcy as Rolf Gruber, Mel Giedroyc as the housekeeper, Frau Schmidt, and Paul Copley as the butler, Franz. "The Sound of Music Live" received mixed reviews. Mark Shenton of "The Stage" said it was a failed experiment, with "uninspired and sometimes insipid" choreography and direction, although he praised the cast's performances. Claire Allfree of "The Daily Telegraph" said it lacked both the intimacy of live theatre and the scope of the big