The New Theatre is alive with The Sound Of Music this week, with songs that might not have been sung for a thousand years but had a pretty good airing.
One of the greatest family musicals of all time, it is best known as the 1965 film – a Christmas TV staple – starring Julie Andrews.
But it all began before that with the story of the Trapp Family Singers and Baroness Maria von Trapp’s 1949 autobiography, which inspired Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, along with Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, to create a Broadway musical in 1959. 
Back on stage, BBC1’s The Voice runner-up and award-nominated Lucy O’Byrne who takes the lead as the nun-turned-governess Maria has been hailed as the best in the role since Ms Andrews. 
Not having seen any others, I can’t vouch for that, but she certainly put in a fine performance both with her acting and singing in this lavish staging of the musical. Produced by Bill Kenwright, directed by Martin Connor, choreographed by Olivier Award winner Bill Deamer and with musical direction by David Steadman it was a performance with heart from all the cast.
The Sound of Music tells the true story (with a bit of artistic licence) of the singing family, from their romantic beginnings and search for happiness, to their last-minute escape to freedom as their beloved Austria becomes part of the Third Reich at the start of the Second World War.
The score features many memorable songs, including Edelweiss, My Favourite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, So Long, Farewell and, of course, The Sound of Music - along with a few I either didn’t remember or had been cut from the film.
Andrew Lancel, best known as super-villain Frank Foster in Coronation Street, gave a terrific performance as Captain Von Trapp and the last note goes (literally on stage too) to Jan Hartley and her fine vocals as Mother Abbess.
The show continues until Saturday .

JAINE BLACKMAN