Kirsty Findlay and the von Trapp children in The Sound of Music at at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Picture: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
The Sound of Music continues at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 21 December 2025.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It’s always special to take the trip to the ‘Theatre in the Hills’, the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. In the run up to Christmas, it’s all the more special to return to the hills for The Sound of Music.
Elizabeth Newman’s joyous swan song from 2024 has been refreshed under Sam Hardie’s direction with Kirsty Findlay and Ali Watt returning as Maria and Captain von Trapp. It is absolutely wonderful to hear their dialogue once again spoken in Scottish accents, linking the characters to the sense of place in their mountain homeland. Their scenes together have a wonderful rhythm to them, continued into their singing voices – blending beautifully.
The production is sheer class – an unfussy stage that uses the stepped revolve to excellent effect and evokes the changing settings with a few well-placed items of furnishing and dynamic lighting.
Above all else, the music is absolutely sublime: Richard Reeday’s musical direction balances the actor-musician cast splendidly with the superb vocal performances. The choral numbers are spine-tinglingly lush and the orchestral sweeps are divine.
The Baroness, Elsa, is played by Miiya Alexandra with sincerity seldom found, yet this reading gives a more balanced character. Alexandra has found the heart of the role in this sympathetic portrayal. Max Detweiler (Oliver Nazareth Aston) comes across as an enthusiastic ‘sponge’, like a puppy looking for attention and being desperately friendly!
Liesl and Rolf (Lauren MacDonald and Lawrence Smith) are adorably naive in their roles. ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen’ is not only the sweet love song; we can see Rolf trying to ‘step up’ as the seventeen going on eighteen boy while so aware of his own youth. Very satisfying and cleverly avoiding being ‘twee’.
There are two casts for the children and again the ‘reading’ manages to avoid the trap (no pun intended!) of making the family intolerably sweet. Indeed, the Gretl from the press performance was marvellously confident – a refreshing portrayal. In their interaction with Maria and the Captain there is a natural ease – truly delightful.
It’s an extraordinary show – perfect for the Christmas season. Go to the hills – lift your spirits and enjoy the happiest musical of them all.
Fiona Orr
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