Northern Vibes

Am I the only person in the known universe to have never seen The Sound of Music? Well, I must be. Or more accurately, I 'was,' for now I have lost my innocence. I have been Rodger and Hammersteined, so to speak.

From not knowing the narrative, not understanding that it based on a true story, and - this is somewhat shocking - not even knowing the world-famous tunes, I have become a convert. I was very pleasantly surprised, and my promise to avoid humming, whistling, or - worst case scenario - singing the tunes in the car on the way home failed miserably.

Opera North, being Opera North, don't do half measures, and their stage design, costumes, choreography, and lighting were little short of spectacular. Much credit must be given to Leicester Curve's original production, where set designer Michael Taylor laid such solid foundations for the look and feel of the piece.

The set is a remarkably attractive three-dimensional section of a mountain path leading away from the rear of the convent of novice Maria Rainer. Maria, gloriously and effervescently played by Katie Bird is a capricious force of nature and is too much of a handful for the Abbess (Katherine Broderick). As a consequence, she is dispatched to work as a governess at the von Trapp residence. Whilst this is essential for the storyline, I was nonetheless sorry not to hear much more of Edinburgh-based soprano Katherine Broderick - what a lovely voice.

With impeccable smoothness, the stage crew almost instantly transformed the set into the interior of Captain Georg von Trapp's magnificent house - and back again, with apparent ease. Here we meet the rather stiff, proud, and militarian Captain, who takes an instant dislike to Maria for her more relaxed attitude toward looking after his seven children. Seasoned actor Edward Bennett takes on the task of transforming from a bit of a prig to an utterly infatuated lover. He brings the charisma and gravitas the part demands and is the perfect foil for Maria.

The Children



The Children

Evelyn Thomas, Greti von Trapp
Fern Rungrojkiiyos, Marta von Trapp
Lucas Kerr, Kurt von Trapp
Karis Musongole, Brigitta von Trapp
Zac Anders, Friedrich von Trapp
Harmony Raine Riley, Louisa von Trapp
And then there's the children: there was a time when children couldn't act or sing or remember their lines, or at least had the decency to look a bit amateurish. What has happened? Here we have 7 very accomplished children - well, 6 younger ones and April Perrott playing the oldest child, Liesl, who is 16, going on 17, apparently. All the children were magnificent; they could all sing, dance, and act, but April Perrott's voice was particularly stunning, especially as this production marks the very start of her professional career.

A Shadow from the North

The Captain has an alternative love interest in the form of millionairess Baroness Elsa Schraeder, played by Chorus of Opera North stalwart Amy Freston. But the match is not likely to last, as Austrian society is powerfully divided between those who can tolerate the coming storm from the north and those who cannot. Amy, I'm sure, is a delightful person in real life, but she does do snidey rather well.

Despite the best efforts of Governess Maria, all is not well for the von Trapp family. War from over the border in Germany throws a frightening shadow over the proud Austrian family. This sense of the inevitable end of an era is conveyed to the audience using grainy black and white back-projections of war scenes, silhouetted Nazi stormtroopers, and foreboding orchestral cadences.

The fantastic in-house band (a full 40 piece version the Orchestra of Opera North, under the baton of conductor Oliver Rundell) are again on top form. With so many militaristic allusions the brass section was much in demand and performed impeccably. They did sometimes overwhelm the strings, but that may have been due to my position in the auditorium.

The Shadow Arrives

All too soon the soldiers arrive at the von Trapp residence as part of the Anschluss - the enforced joining together of Austria and Germany as part of Hitler's plan for a 'greater Germany.' And with the troops comes both physical danger and the threat of cultural imperialism. The proud captain, famed for his service in the notoriously landlocked Austrian Navy, is summoned to be part of the German war machine.

The von Trapp's are, well, trapped. There's only one way out; they must sing at a concert in Saltzburg and attempt to sneak away to freedom in Switzerland, on the other side of the Alps. This actually happened; it is a true story and is all the more affecting because of that.

There was a time when I had never seen or heard of The Sound of Music. Now those days of innocence are over, and I am haunted by those oh-so-catchy Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes. The performance I witnessed by the entire cast of Opera North and friends was stunning. The audience clearly loved it, and I would love to see it again. I'm told the film is good, but that won't do for me. I want to see that cast again; anything else would be a mere pastiche.

The Sound of Music continues at Leeds Grand until Saturday 1st August 2026.