Iconic role

And the Checotah native seems an unlikely choice to play an Austrian aspiring nun who becomes governess to a widowed war hero’s children, eventually marries him and later must flee the Nazis with her new family.

Of course, Julie Andrews is at least partly to blame. Powered by Andrews’ four-octave range and indelible performance, the 1965 film version of “The Sound of Music” earned five Oscars, briefly supplanted “Gone With the Wind” as the highestgrossing movie of all time and practically ensured no one else would seem a suitable Maria ever again.

The English icon — who, to be fair, doesn’t sound any more Austrian than Underwood — just has a way about her. I got to interview her once, and when she smiled and cocked her head at me in that Julie Andrews way, I couldn’t decide whether to curtsy like I was addressing the queen or beg her to be my honorary grandma.

But Underwood, 30, has her own down-to-earth charm, powerhouse voice and Oklahoma work ethic going for her.

“My entire fall has basically been all about ‘The Sound of Music,’ ” she told Women’s Health for the magazine’s November cover story. “It’s a live musical on TV, so there’s been a lot of prep work. I’ve been in New York quite a bit doing run-throughs and working on a kind of music that’s not exactly the kind of music that I’m used to singing. So it’s been a lot of work, and it’s been really challenging. But I think in the end it’s really going to be very rewarding. It’s going to be exciting to actually do a musical live on TV.”

Live — and cinematic

Besides, “The Sound of Music Live!” isn’t a remake of the movie. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the pro- ducing team behind NBC’s musical series “Smash” as well as the acclaimed film versions of the song-anddance hits “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” are adapting the 1959 Tony-winning Broadway hit, the final musical from the esteemed team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

“We would never consider remaking the movie — it is a masterpiece and a classic — but what most people haven’t seen is the stage show,” Zadan told TV Guide. “And we want it to feel cinematic.”

Their production also is inspired by 1950s theatrical broadcasts of shows such as “Peter Pan” and “Cinderella.”

“We’ve always wanted to do something like this, because it feels like, in order to create a real event on TV these days, it needs to be live,” Meron told TV Guide.

Cast credentials

Underwood has plenty of experience singing live, and judging from the snip-