REVIEW: The Sound of Music at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (Tuesday, October 4)

‘THE greatest of all time’ is a statement that gets thrown around so much these days that it loses any sense of the meaning, but make an exception this time, writes Dan Sharp.

Bill Kenwright’s production of The Sound of Music came with the tagline of ‘one of the greatest family musicals of all time’, and it’s not hard to see why.

I’m not going to lie, I’ll just admit it and come clean, I’ve never seen The Sound of Music before, whether that’s on stage or Julie Andrews’ mega-hit 1965 film.

But going over the list of musical numbers before the show began, it surprised me how many of these great show tunes are ones I know and love.

Kicking off the show with the titular song, Lucy O’Byrne’s Maria is the shining light and straight away you can see why The Voice runner-up has gone into a career on the stage.

She showcased the vocal talents of someone with much more stage experience and has one of the clearest voices I have heard, while for a talent show singer her acting skills are also to be commended, especially her warm connection with the Von Trapp children.

Lucy is complimented with a stellar performance from former Coronation Street bad-boy Andrew Lancel as Captain Von Trapp, whose natural singing voice is a pleasant surprise, while Jan Hartley’s vocal performance as Mother Abbess is near perfection.

Special mention must also go to all the Von Trapp children, but especially Annie Holland as sixteen year old Liesl, whose chemistry with Kane Verrall – playing Rolf Gruber – is a standout moment.

With stunning scenery, a brilliant nunnery choir and David Steadman’s orchestra being note perfect, there is much to love in this much-heralded musical.

‘The greatest of all time’ is a statement that should be reserved for the very best, which The Sound of Music will forever be – 4 ½ out of 5.

The Sound of Music runs at the Grand Theatre until Saturday (October 9), with tickets, from £22.50, on sale from www.grandtheatre.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01902 429212.