Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Photo credit: Fraser Band
It’s one of the most iconic images in cinematic history – Julie Andrews, arms spread wide, spinning around atop an Austrian mountain. The Sound of Music is such a beloved classic film, it’s surely a daunting task to take on a new production and put your own stamp on it.
But that is exactly what Elizabeth Newman, outgoing Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, has done in her final production for the theatre. Everything audiences know and love from the 1965 classic is here, but this is not trying to be a carbon copy of the film, to its credit. Ruari Murchison’s simple-yet-effective set plays the role of both mountain and von Trapp family home, with a dark background allowing characters to melt in and out of the shadows into their places in the orchestra.
This is an actor-musician production, so the entire adult cast (and even one of the children) play instruments throughout, sometimes in the background as part of the instrumental ensemble but sometimes as characters who are part of the scene. This works very effectively, with particular highlights being Rolf’s (Elliot Gooch) trumpet solo in the middle of ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen’ and Captain von Trapp (Ali Watt) sensitively accompanying himself on guitar in ‘Edelweiss’. These actor-musicians are unbelievably talented – on top of the standard job of memorising lines and song lyrics, they also have large chunks of the musical score memorised, which is no mean feat.
The whole company is outstanding here. The von Trapp brood (with the exception of Liesl) are played by two casts of local children, and the group we saw were six charming and engaging young performers. Amidst the backdrop of ever-approaching darkness and terror as the Third Reich closes in on Austria, Christian Edwards’ Max Detweiler provides much needed levity. His two songs with Elsa (Hannah Baker) are fun little numbers that may surprise the audience, as they are omitted from the film. Sally Cheng is a delightful Liesl, capturing both her maturity compared to her siblings but also her naïveté beautifully. Kate Milner-Evans brings kindness and compassion to the Mother Abbess, with soaring soprano vocals in ‘Climb Every Mountain’, which brings the house down both in its original rendition and in the finale.
Ali Watt is a stoic Captain von Trapp, his barriers breaking down bit by bit as he opens his heart to Maria and his children. It’s easy to see why he falls in love with Kirsty Findlay’s Maria – she’s the perfect combination of youthful whimsy and steely resolve, and boasts a powerful, full singing voice. This is no Julie Andrews impression – Findlay’s Maria surprisingly has a Scottish accent, adding a folky flavour to some of her songs which is most welcome.
This is a triumphant production to close Newman’s time in Pitlochry, and as evidenced by the warm standing ovation it received, the audience clearly agrees. Whether you’ve seen the film dozens of times or are discovering the story for the first time, Pitlochry’s “Theatre in the Hills” is the perfect backdrop for this heartwarming tale of hope and the love of a family.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Lorna Murray
The Sound of Music plays at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 22 December, with further info here.