Michael Cox reviews Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s ‘wonderful production’ of a timeless classic.
The Sound of Music is the type of production one thinks they know better than they actually do. Having a reputation of being shmaltzy and inspiring sing-a-long screenings with audiences dressing-up (very similar to Rocky Horror), it’s easy to think that purchasing a ticket for Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s production is a guarantee for a fun frolic.
Yet memory can be deceptive. Robert Wise’s 1965 film has a lot more teeth than people remember—or indeed most marketing firms wish you to believe. Yes, there are songs that, when sung on their own, feel sugary enough to result in root canal; yet when performed in context they reveal themselves to be laments for a simpler time, yearning for a more innocent way of life. Before the world wars. Before the rise of fascism. Before soulless government bureaucracies would shrug at the extermination of human lives. When communities rallied together and didn’t get seduced by populist political ideology.
Perhaps such times never really existed: it’s easy to be seduced by the lure of nostalgia.
But there is something else that has existed throughout time, and that is the power of two different types of story: a) the story of the pure-hearted hero who faces adversity and stands for what is right, and b) the redemptive arch.
Why The Sound of Music works as brilliantly as it does is that it plays both plot threads flawlessly. Young Maria is a genuinely wonderful hero: happy to see the good in anyone and wanting so badly to do right that she’s willing to self-sacrifice. Music for her isn’t frivolous—it is communing with humanity, and it is something to be cherished and shared.
And does musical theatre have a more potent scene than when Captain von Trapp—widower, grieving and so hardened by world events and the need to control that he has shut any emotional connection—hears the voices of his children and allows music to literally save his soul?
Yes, it’s very easy to focus on the concept of cute children and singing nuns, but Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II always had a far richer and emotionally rewarding story to tell through their timeless musical score.
It’s also easy to find unintended poetry in Elizabeth Newman’s final production for Pitlochry. Newman has had a terrific run in her tenure as artistic director, and it seems rather fitting that her swan song is a musical that doesn’t shy away from political discourse yet has uplifting moments. Her staging is practically impeccable, smooth and balanced yet filled with emotional richness and tenderness.
However, it’s in Newman’s cast that the production really shines. There are wonderful supporting characters throughout. Of particular note are Sally Cheng as oldest von Trapp child Liesl, Christian Edwards as a rather funny yet humane uncle Max (a role that has darker undertones on stage than in the film) and Kate Milner Evans in the crucial role of Mother Abbess. The rest of the company impress, taking on multiple roles and playing musical instruments, and the children playing the von Trapp family are always an utter delight.
But the show really does hinge on its two leads, and it is here that Newman is particularly well-served. Ali Watt is a revelation as Captain Georg von Trapp. The Captain is a hard role—he sometimes has to make radical leaps to serve the plot, and for much of the first half he serves as an antagonist. Watt is constantly engaging, and there’s never a moment you don’t want the music to find its way into his heart—and when it does, it really packs an emotional punch.
But Kirsty Findlay really does a remarkable job as Maria. It’s a practically impossible role to pull off: the ghost of Julie Andrews constantly hovers, and the emotional burden of the nearly three-hour production lies squarely on her shoulders. It is a challenge she more than meets—vocally impressive, she balances the line between humour and pathos with exceptional skill. She is very giving when sharing the stage with the children yet commands the stage when required.
In an age of political uncertainty and anger, how refreshing it is to be reminded that, when faced with evil, sometimes the best thing to do is to not take up arms but to fearlessly look it straight in the eye, smile, and use the power of love through music to break through. There is much we can still learn from this gem of a musical, and there is much to be impressed with this wonderful production.
The Sound of Music performs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until December 22, 2024. For tickets and further details, go to the theatre’s website.
Photos by Fraser Band.
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