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The Sound of Music

 
Joy Watters Review by Joy Watters 4 Published: 2 Dec 2025 Pitlochry Show Dates: 14 Nov 2025-21 Dec 2025

It has to be said, not for the first time, that the theatre in the hills is alive with the sound of music. The Rodgers & Hammerstein musical first hit the PFT stage a year ago and was such a success it has won itself an encore.

The wonderful Kirsty Findlay at its heart as novice nun Maria...

More familiar to most through the movie starring Julie Andrews, the Pitlochry stage version uses a large ensemble of actor-musicians to tell the story, sing the songs and accompany themselves on a wide range of musical instruments.

There is something fascinating about having the excellent band and cast of more than 20 embedded on the stage, stepping up to play their parts before returning to their instruments.

Last year it was directed by the then artistic director Elizabeth Newman as her leaving present to PFT. This time the revival director is Sam Hardie, who worked alongside Newman.

Both productions have the wonderful Kirsty Findlay at their heart as the novice nun Maria. Findlay is a delight as the brave young lassie, kind and caring, determined to do what is right. She wants to share her love of music, and Findlay’s lovely singing voice fits the bill.

The songs and the music are impressive throughout (musical director Richard Reeday), from the opening tones of the nuns singing their sacred music to the emotional finale of Climb Every Mountain, given full voice by Kate Mylner Evans as Mother Abbess.

The audience is introduced to Maria as a novice nun who is far too free-spirited to take up the vocation and is sent as a governess to the Von Trapp family. She quickly wins over her charges with kindness; their father, the stern Captain Von Trapp (Ali Watt), takes longer.

Let us not forget the delights of the Von Trapp children. The youth cast sing and act like seasoned troupers, endearing themselves to the audience.

It is set in 1938 as Hitler’s Germany annexes Austria and the Von Trapps flee their homeland. Hardie’s production does not neglect the political element. It movingly builds to the escape across the hills with the poignant finale.

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The Blurb:

The Sound of Music is a joyous and heart-warming musical set in Austria on the eve of World War II.

It follows the story of a young novice nun Maria, whose free spirit has trouble fitting in with the regulations of the convent. She leaves to be a governess to seven motherless children, while contemplating whether to commit to life as a nun. Maria transforms the von Trapp family home from a place of strict rules to one filled with joy, laughter, and music. In the process, she falls in love with the children, capturing their hearts and finding herself drawn to their widower father, Captain von Trapp.

With the blessing of the Mother Abbess and to the children’s delight, Maria follows her heart and marries the Captain. Returning home from their honeymoon, they learn that their beloved Austria is under Nazi control, and the Captain has been summoned to serve in the Third Reich’s navy.

Determined to escape the dangerous situation, they resolve to leave Austria. After narrowly evading pursuit by Nazi officers, they embark on a treacherous journey with the children over the mountains to reach safety in Switzerland.

This wonderful musical features infectious songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein, including Maria, My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, The Lonely Goatherd, So Long, Farewell, Edelweiss and Climb Ev’ry Mountain.