Sound of Music is a hit all over again

The Sound of Music, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Feb 6-10.

This Belgrade production had a lot to live up to, the 1965 film of the von Trapp family escaping from the Nazis being so well known and loved around the world. The film broke box office records in 29 countries and was voted one of the best movie musicals.

And on opening night in Coventry, Bill Kenwright’s production showed that more than 50 years after the film was released, the Sound of Music's Rodgers and Hammerstein songs have lost none of their appeal.

The singing was excellent, especially Megan Llewellyn’s (Mother Abbess) powerful rendition of Climb Every Mountain, and Lucy O’Byrne (runner-up on TV's The Voice) outstanding as Maria.

Her vocals had an unforced clarity which was matched perfectly by the performances of the seven von Trapp children. It was hard not to sing along with the ravishing melodies of such timeless songs such as My Favourite Things and Do-Re-Mi. And the classic Sixteen Going on Seventeen, updated with inventive and refreshing choreography, was stunning. This was an elaborate production with seamless set changes which transported us from the interior of the abbey where would-be nun Maria struggles to conform, to the imposing von Trapp family home, and ultimately, the swastika-flagged concert stage of the Saltzburg Festival. From the atmospheric opening sequence featuring the nuns of the Nonnberg Abbey to the final scene where the von Trapp family can be seen escaping, climbing Maria’s beloved mountains, the show is fabulous to look at and even better to listen to. Don’t miss it!

For tickets go to: http://www.belgrade.co.uk

Pictured: Lucy O'Byrne as Maria with the von Trapp children.