The Sound Of Music Review: the hills are alive with the dream revival!
- Jack Davey
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
27 November 2025 I 19:00 I Curve Theatre, Leicester
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I PR - Invite
Succeeding last year's Christmas spectacular My Fair Lady, the Curve Theatre's '25/26 winter warmer comes in the form of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound Of Music. Nikolai Foster's direction is earnest and warm in its musical familiarity while acknowledging the impending unease of the Nazi regime. A bleak overcast may not suit a merry family outing, yet the production stands artistically brilliant in recognising a period of terror.
Having recently joined a convent, free-spirited Maria is employed as a governess for the von Trapp children under their father, Captain von Trapp. Rebelling his strict ideals on parenting, Maria uses music and creativity to establish order and inspire the children. Navigating her love for the Captain, the family must soon prepare to flee as the Third Reich threatens to devastate Austria.
Audiences catch their breath in awe as Michael Taylor's design is unveiled, as if the Austrian landscape has been upheaved and placed onto the Leicester stage. Its hyper-realness (featuring a running waterfall!) amplifies the musical's relationship with nature, symbolic of freedom and how land is politicised. Paired with Mark Henderson's lighting designs, the imitation of sunlight is transformative on Taylor's space, shifting to stormy grey tones that voice Act Two's oppressive state.
Characterised by a perky and ambitious attitude, Molly Lynch's Maria is exemplary in reconstructing a classically adored role. Introduced through the title song, she takes an effortless ownership to such a monumental stage. Lynch is able to encapsulate the feminine grace of Julie Andrews, where her confidence in body language has a contemporary edge that is freshly empowered.
David Seadon-Young compliments Lynch with a softened Captain von Trapp where, as a performer, he leads with guttural emotion. Opening with a reclusive timidity, his cheerful progression scattered with outbursts of distress is heart-breaking yet ultimately endearing, a hard quality to achieve with the Captain. His mansion is adorned with humour, with Rachel Izen's (Frau Schmidt) deadpan housemaid scoring barrels of laughter.
Under Foster's vision, there are many standout scenes, one being the ballroom famed for So Long, Farewell. Choreography by Ebony Molina curates a swirling elegance that relishes in beauty, until the music breaks, resulting in sudden staccato and violent movements as tensions seep through the ordinary. Alongside Taylor's ballgowns and chandeliers, Molina's choreography forms a veneer of safety through a wealthy aesthetic, disguising the uglier political tones.
The young von Trapp company are endlessly charming, from Gretl (Mimi-Kimara Clarkson) literally melting audience's hearts, to Liesl's (Aviva Tulley) gentle vocal maturity. The seven-strong ensemble of children are remarkably talented, erupting onto the stage (Do Re Mi) with the most infectious presence. Their confidence, despite complex direction, is evident of highly meticulous and rewarding rehearsal.
The Rodgers & Hammerstein score is a cultural landmark which, with arrangements by George Dyer, appear in a different structure to the 1965 film. The Lonely Goatherd acts as an amusing distraction to the thunderstorm, and Edelweiss is reserved only until Act Two for a vulnerable testament to resilience. Musical director David Doidge leads a live band of 11 in the most magical rendition, closing Act One with Climb Ev'ry Mountain. West End legend Joanna Riding is a divine Mother Abbess to induce waves of goosebumps, immediately comforting with a showstopping vibrato.
Honouring six decades of The Sound Of Music, the press night buzz speaks for itself! Audiences clearly adore this timeless musical on perseverance and courage, complete with an immediate standing ovation. An age guidance of 8+ is recommended, although dependent on individuals as final scenes can be intimidating with the Third Reich's uprising. Nevertheless, a daring and aspiring concept excels where, in Leicester, the hills are alive with the dream revival!
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