Review: The Sound of Music (Leeds Grand Theatre)

Review by Victoria Pearson

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“How do you solve a problem like Maria?” Well, that’s the question the cast of Opera North are asking the people of Leeds this summer. The answer? Inventive staging, visually perfect costumes, the songs we all know and love (plus a couple of extras if your only experience is the 1965 film) and a stellar cast delivering pitch-perfect renditions and perfectly timed comedic moments. Taking on such a well-known and beloved musical is no small feat and certainly not for the faint-hearted, so do Opera North climb every mountain, ford every stream, and follow every rainbow to bring us the rendition of our dreams? I guess we’ll see, but let’s start at the very beginning, which is, I’m sure you’ll agree, a very good place to start!

Whilst the very first iteration of The Sound of Music was on Broadway in 1959, the idea was borne from Maria Von Trapp, herself, through her memoir ‘The Story of the Trapp Family Singers’ (1949), which told the real story of her family’s musical history, their flight from Austria and their lives beyond the hills of Salzburg. In reality, much of the show’s book, written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, is pure fiction or – at best – a twist on aspects of truth. Captain Von Trapp (in our show, played by Edward Bennet of Bridgerton, Poldark and Royal Shakespeare Company fame) was, for instance, not the authoritarian, aloof and distant father he is portrayed to be, reluctant to have his family sing, but (according to historical accounts) a warm-hearted and loving father who was already musically inclined before Maria’s arrival. Similarly, the midnight escape over The Untersberg would, had this actually happened, have led the family straight into Nazi Germany rather than the welcoming neutrality of Switzerland.

This version of the show is based on the Leicester Curve’s production from 2025 and sees several of the original Curve creative team (designer Michael Taylor, lighting designer Mark Henderson, and choreographer Ebony Molina) working under the direction of Nikolai Foster, with Oliver Rundell taking the mantle of musical director. Opera North describes itself as a “national opera company based in Leeds and a leading UK arts organisation. Rooted in the North of England, international in outlook, we believe opera, music and live performance are for everyone,” so it comes as no surprise that several of the main roles were taken by members of the Chorus’ full-time professional ensemble, rather than solely relying on external names. Indeed, two of the standouts from the night were Claire Pasco as Frau Schmidt and Nicholas Butterfield as Max Detweiler with a special mention to Molly Barker-Knowles for her comedic turn as Sister Berthe during ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?’

The Sound of Music would not exist without the seven Von Trapp children who, for opening night were played by Team Drop, and who easily stole every scene they were in. Each of them were line and note-perfect and choreographed with precision, yet made it appear that they were, in fact, just children running around, singing and having fun. For me, there were two, in particular, who stole my heart, Kurt and little Gretl. Kurt (Lucas Kerr) has the unenviable, but expected, high note in ‘So Long, Farewell’ (sometimes called The Goodbye Song) and the audience needn’t have been worried about Lucas’ ability to reach it. Clear as a bell, loud and strong, and you could see patrons all around the stalls nodding their heads in approval and recognition. He’s one to watch! Where do I even start with Evelyn Thomas’ Gretl? A confident portrayal that easily moved between humour, warmth, naivety, bravery and the hardest of all for children to portray, silence. Her professional debut, Evelyn held her own during the times she was the only child on stage, surrounded by the adults towering over her, in what must have been intimidating for a child so small. Not only that but she went further and drew all eyes to her, particularly during her solo at the end of ‘So Long, Farewell’ where she shone. Mark my words, that little girl is going to be a star!

Now onto the lady of the hour, Maria herself, played by Katie Bird, who is also a member of the Chorus for Opera North. I’ll start by saying that there were times when, if you closed your eyes, and just listened, you would swear that Julie Andrews was on that stage, and you were being treated to Maria Von Trapp as she should be. Speech patterns, tone, passion, and intensity were executed marvellously, and the quality of Katie’s voice is dazzling, absolutely dazzling. I would see her again in a heartbeat. She reminded me, somewhat, of another of Julie Andrews’ characters, however, one who is ‘practically perfect in every way’ as that was the tone set for our Maria, practically perfect. For me, Maria was a whirling dervish, a chaotic mess, a frantic woman, who was constantly trying to do her best and that’s part of the charm as to why you love her so much. We’ve all been there, or we know someone like that. Katie’s Maria was more put-together, more pristine, and less ‘Tasmanian devil’ than I would have liked and perhaps the role could stand to evolve to embrace more of those elements.

Similarly, the romance and relationship development between our Georg and Maria felt quite hurried and rushed. To be clear, though, it did not feel forced or unbelievable, far from it. The chemistry between the two leads was palpable and Bennett, in particular, played the love-struck element exceptionally. It felt, however, that they barely had any time onstage together before they fell, no time to ignite that spark and to fan it into the love story that we know so well.

The lighting or staging effects, however, are impeccable. The use of a floating ‘window’ for the Abbey meant that you were never in any doubt as to where the scene was taking place, and somehow created an imposing and omnipotent ambience. The genius of having the audience move from the hills of Salzburg – literally created at the back of the stage – to seeing those same hills through the Abbey Window should not be understated, and pairing that with the hauntingly beautiful voices of the Sisters, the subdued colours and lighting and the spectacular work with candles. Goosebumps. Literal, full-body goosebumps each time.

Foster, it seems, has a knack for creating atmospheric conditions that make the audience feel something, even when they don’t want to! During the latter part of the show, during a pivotal scene, Foster used the space afforded to him by the venue itself with astonishing effect. The boxes on all levels of the auditorium became crowded with German soldiers, ‘watching’ a festival performance and, when it became clear something was amiss, further soldiers swarmed the auditorium in search. The low lighting, coupled with the actors using powerful hand-held torch beams, scanning the faces of the audience, stomping with loud clips on their boots and staunch upright postures, was genuinely quite terrifying. Nearly every fan (thank you Opera North for supplying us with them, so we didn’t succumb to the heat) stopped moving and people all around me – myself included – seemed to hold their breath and freeze in place, until the soldiers left. A tiny insight into the power of how light, space, and wardrobe can impact on storytelling.

Having never seen the show on stage before, I can say that I was blown away and definitely chose an excellent first-time production. All of the elements came together to create an almost perfect show, and I would, most definitely, see it again if the opportunity arose. If the company could just make some small adjustments, this could be a truly perfect production.

All in all, this Sound of Music is definitely one to go see before it finishes its run. Until then…so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodnight.

The Sound of Music plays at Leeds Grand Theatre until 1^st August 2026. Tickets from Opera North Box Office

Photos by Tristram Kenton