Review: The Sound of Music (New Theatre Oxford)

Having seen a few OXOPS productions in the past, I was excited to visit the New Theatre in Oxford to see their production of The Sound of Music. In the almost sold-out performance I attended, the atmosphere of anticipation before the show started was palpable. I should, for full clarity, say that this particular show is not one I know as well as previous musicals I have seen OXOPS present. However, I did go with someone who is a huge fan of the film, so our discussions in the interval were insightful.

As the show started it became clear the set was absolutely perfect for the show, immediately indicating each location as the story progressed. The score is easily recognisable, and the vocal performances from the cast were hugely impressive.  The female ensemble starting the show with a rousing performance of Preludium was a strong opener, setting the bar for some wonderful vocals as the evening continued. Then, when we heard The Sound of Music it became satisfyingly clear that Maria’s vocals were in very good hands.

The music itself was performed to such a level that it would be easy to wonder if OXOPS had hired in a professional orchestra.  This is a consistent situation though with any of their musicals and I can only put it down to some highly skilled musicians being involved in the society.

Georg von Trapp (Andy Blagrove) was particularly (intentionally) unpleasant when he was first shown interacting with the children. With the help of his whistle, this perfectly set the scene for their awkward family dynamic at that time.

Before going to the theatre I did wonder how the children would fare in this show, but it turned out that some of my personal favourite scenes were the ones with Maria and the children (we saw Team Diamond).  Their relationships were so natural and believable, and their vocals together made me feel emotional at times, particularly during The Lonely Goatheard and My Favourite Things.

It is impossible to even think about the vocals and not mention Sarah Leatherbarrow as Mother Abbess who had had the vocal prowess to make Climb Ev’ry Mountain a spectacular end to Act 1, with well-deserved rapturous applause when it finished.

Some of my highlights of the show include seeing Emily Booth performing as Maria. This is such an enormous role but the performance was taken it its stride, and her vocals were absolutely beautiful. As mentioned earlier, I particularly enjoyed Maria’s interactions with the children, but also with Mother Abbess. The vocal harmonies during these were stunning.

Glen Young gave a wonderful performance as Max, drawing your eye to him whenever he was onstage.

Liesl and Rolf were portrayed convincingly by Holly Soame and Kenan Reeves, their fledgling romance authentically introduced and believable and a scene between them later in the show bringing just the right amount of tension to what would have been a very stressful situation for the von Trapp family.

One of the strongest scenes was in the second half during the festival when Nazi flags descended behind the performers.  This had a huge impact and brought weight to the situation, which was then spectacularly lightened when a runner up in the competition stole the stage for longer than she should have. This wonderful comedic moment caused a lot of laughter in the audience.

As much as I admire OXOPS inclusion of so many of their members in their shows, I think, for me, some scenes lost their impact as a result during this show. This was particularly noticeable during the scene when Captain von Trapp and Maria had their first dance.  The stage was a bit too busy to focus on the significance of this moment. Similarly, the children’s second song during the festival was stronger for me when it was them singing alone before the ensemble joined in. The children’s harmonies when they sang together were a delight to listen to.

I have huge respect for Oxford Operatic for taking on these hugely popular and well-established musicals and enabling them to be available to a wider audience, and I am looking forward to seeing more shows by them in the future.

Whilst The Sound of Music did not quite reach the same heights for me as Evita in 2023 and Jesus Christ Superstar in 2025, it was an enjoyable watch with some stunning vocal performances which will linger in my memory, in particular those of Emily Booth and Team Diamond performing together.

⭐⭐⭐1/2

The Sound of Music is showing at New Theatre Oxford until Sunday 18 January.  Limited tickets are available here.

If you would like to see more of my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted tickets for this show in exchange for an honest review.