“I can’t believe you’ve never seen the movie!” says my friend as we settle down to witness the return of Tip Top Productions to the Storyhouse stage. No prior knowledge is necessary to enjoy this show, as following an introduction by a large choir of nuns, theatre goers are swept along on a wave of iconic Rogers and Hammerstein songs, all of them embedded into popular culture.

Set in Austria in 1938, prior to the country being annexed into Nazi Germany. The scenery and set design effectively takes us from an Abbey, to the famous hills ( that are alive with the sound of music) to the corners of Captain Von Trapp’s estate. The stern head of the family , portrayed by the accomplished Mike Deakin presides over his 7 children. The children, portrayed by 2 teams of confident youngsters across the run of the show are headed up by 16- going on 17 Liesl, played by Hammond student Lilly Street. Into their life comes the free spirited Maria with her love of music a contrast to the children’s life of military discipline. Josephine McSollars brings warmth, likeability and a beautiful singing voice to the role, making it easy to see why the family come to adore her. Maria demonstrates to the family the transformative power of song. It only takes one song to make the Captain fall, and while both leads shine, their romantic chemistry felt a little flat.

The show flows smoothly from one so highlight to the next, with Alyson Thacker’s wise Mother Abbess (my favouriter performer on the night) bringing the first act to a soaring close with her rendition of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”.

The second half takes on darker hues with the flamboyant Nazi collaborator Max (Robin Crowley) and the scheming Elsa (Katie Barclay) delivering the song “No way to stop it” about the inevitable events to come, encouraging the Captain not to resist the Nazis, instead to “Compromise, and be wise!” Mike Deakin excels here depicting the Captain’s deep unease and fear for his family’s future. The threat lingers over an impressively choreographed ballroom scene which shows the full scale of the extensive cast.

As the family plot their escape from the dark forces that surround them, Tip Top cover the Storyhouse stage with an enormous swastika, as the Von Trapps perform in a singing competition: with storm troopers surrounding the audience, the effect is chilling and immersive.

The Sound of Music is a joyous demonstration of the vast artistic talent of the local area- seeing it performed on our city’s premium theatrical space (a far cry from the group’s previous home in the Forum studio, now lost to decay and development) can only add to the impact. The whole audience was uplifted by the sound of Tip Top’s music.

With this show, and the work of numerous other so called amateur groups also in the spotlight recently, alongside Storyhouse’s offering both here and in the Grosvenor Park, perhaps historians may refer to this era as Chester’s cultural renaissance.

Pics: Mark Carline