Shepherd is Captain von Trapp in London Sound of Music

Andrew Lloyd Webber has written on his website that Simon Shepherd will play Captain von Trapp, the authoritarian father softened by love, in the upcoming London revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music.

Lloyd Webber also writes on the Q&A section of his website that "there are currently no plans to bring the revival of The Sound of Music to Broadway, but the concept is certainly one we may be interested taking there."

The Sound of Music, produced by Lloyd Webber, will begin previews at the London Palladium on November 4th and open on November 14th.  It was previously announced that Emma Williams has been cast as the stand-in in the role of cheerful Austrian governess Maria; she will play the role for two performances a week.  Opera star Lesley Garrett has also been cast as the Mother Abbess.

A star to play Maria will be announced after this Saturday, when the final installment of the BBC reality show "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" airs.  Lloyd Webber is among the judges on the popular series.   Connie Fisher, Siobhan Dillon, and Helena Blackman are the remaining three performers vying for the chance to star in the revival.

Shepherd is a British TV and film star whose credits include the popular "Peak Practice," as well as "Warriors," "Bliss," "Poirot," "Lillie," "May We Borrow Your Husband?," Carmen, Spice World, Wuthering Heights, Henry V and The Doctor and The Devils.