Broken Legs Blog

Leicester Curve’s festive offering sees director Nikolai Foster bring classic musical “The Sound of Music” to the stage, telling the story of an Austrian family faced with impending invasion by the Nazis. The musical reunites Molly Lynch and David Seadon-Young, last seen together in ‘My Fair Lady’, as nursemaid Maria and her employer Georg von Trapp, who quickly fall in love over the course of this two and a half hour show. Filled with well-known songs, larger-than-life characters and some excellent performances from the young cast of von Trapp children, this is sure to be a hit with families across the East Midlands, telling an engrossing story that will captivate audiences old and young.

Set amidst the Austrian alps, perhaps the most striking thing about this production is Michael Taylor’s set, which makes full use of the Curve’s impressive size, featuring a backdrop of rolling hills, real trees and trickling brook that is almost like looking at a visual illusion – it is a slice of Austria transported to the inside of a theatre, and it is at once magical, made even more so when each tree is illuminated by fairy lights during a party held at the von Trapp’s house. It is so expansive it almost dwarfs the actors at points – thankfully Lynch is so full of character and enthusiasm that she doesn’t get lost amidst the vastness of the set, racing through the scenery during the opening number, enchanting and aloof in a way that makes her immediately endearing.

Maria is, in fact, too free-spirited for the nunnery where she is studying, and the nuns decide to send her to be a governess for the von Trapp’s instead, deciding that is the best way to solve a problem like Maria. The song “Maria” is a lot of fun, with some excellent vocals from Joanna Riding at the Mother Abbess, whilst we are treated to some comedic choreography from Leonie Spilsbury as Sister Berthe, Keanna Bloomfield at Sister Margaretta and Megan Ellis as Sister Sophia, all under the careful direction of choreographer Ebony Molina. Occasionally, the lyrics are delivered too quickly to catch every word, but it is a fun watch nonetheless, and sets us up for the rest of show, as the action moves to the von Trapp’s house.

Seadon-Young’s Georg is strict and standoffish, giving orders to both his children and his staff with a tin whistle, including Rachel Izen’s Frau Shmidt, the housekeeper who brings some of the best laughs of the night with her deadpan responses. Georg’s character quickly changes with the arrival of Maria, as he softens and starts to encourage his children’s musical talents. The change is a little too quick to be totally believable, and his marriage to Maria happens very suddenly, complete with a shower of confetti which seems to be a go-to for any musical wedding scene these days. Still, once we have moved past this, we get to the meatier aspect of the plot, the rise of the Nazi party, and Seadon-Young is able to turn his sour-faced, miserable father into a more worthy protagonist with a superb rendition of ‘Edelweiss’ in the final scenes of the show.

By far the most successful part of this show is down to the young actors who portray Georg’s children, each one bouncing with energy and beaming with excitement, none more so than the youngest Gretl (Phoebe Dalton), who is simply a delight to watch onstage. The von Trapp children are not given enough character to properly stand out on their own, but as an entourage they are excellent, perfectly in time, with just enough teasing to make their sibling relationships believable. Their most fun number is delivered in “So Long, Farewell”, which sees the children exit the stage one-by-one by various means, whilst “Do-Re-Mi” is a fun introductory number that gives us those initial hints of the energetic performances to come. There are three child casts that are rotated each performance, with the exception of eldest Liesl (Aviva Tulley), who enjoys an important storyline as her childhood sweetheart Rolf (Christian Cooper) finds himself brainwashed by the Nazis. Tulley delivers some excellent vocals throughout (no surprise given her previous appearance in The Book of Mormon), particularly during the song “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”, amidst some complex choreography that involves Cooper riding around the stage on a bicycle.

Overall, this is a show that is very obviously made specifically for the Curve theatre, featuring a set so vast that it would be impossible to tour. One issue with this is that, especially when there are lots of people on stage, it is sometimes difficult to pick out exactly who is speaking, and one wonders whether more could be done with Mark Henderson’s lighting design to help signpost who we should be focusing on. That aside, this is a wonderful production that, despite not being festive in the slightest, still brings about that heart-warming feeling that we associate with this time of year. The underlying plot of increasing Nazism feels particularly prescient given the current political climate, making this a suitably timely revival. Another hit for Nikolai Foster, and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next year.

Tom Morley, December 2025

Review Round-up:

The Guardian: The Sound of Music review – 4 stars from The Guardian, who call this a “rich, relevant revival” that “honours its serious intent”

AllThatDazzles – Review: The Sound of Music – 5 stars from ATD, who talk at length about Molly Lynch’s performance, saying “she delivers a charming performance that allows the audience to fall in love with her at the same time as the entire von Trapp family does”

East Midlands Theatre – Review: The Sound of Music – 5 stars from EMT, who say this “truly magnificent cinemascopic production” is “a total joy for the ears, eyes and soul”