SNOWFLAKES on kittens all tied up with string . . .

It was a constant struggle not to sing along to songs as cosily familiar as mince pies on Boxing Day, thanks to approximately 12,000 outings of the famous film version.

Of course, there’s a reason the film remains such an enduring fixture on our TV screens. Unless you actively dislike hummable Rodgers and Hammerstein melodies, singing nuns, fresh mountain air, kittens, moonlight, and giving Nazis the slip – the appeal of The Sound of Music is pretty much universal. Does this version of the musical production, directed by Jeremy Sams, do it justice?

The answer is a resounding yes.

This production, featuring its original West End cast, has quality running all the way through it. Produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, choreography from Strictly’s Arlene Phillips and boasting superlative sets, it was like being treated to Taste the Finest after a diet of standard own brand.

Connie Fisher plays Maria with the same crisp wholesomeness as Dame Julie Andrews did. Appealingly gamine, her singing voice was as clear and pure as an Alpine stream.

The show really came alive not during the hill scenes – to be honest, the hill sets weren’t the most impressive – but during the first song featuring the talented little Trappettes, Do-Re-Me. In fact, all of the songs featuring the full complement of Von Trapps were a joy. The nuns of Nurnberg Abbey in full throttle were also impressive, with a powerful solo from the Mother Abbess (opera singer Marilyn Hill Smith) practically blowing the roof off. Although Christopher Plummer’s charismatic Captain Von Trapp cast a shadow over Michael Praed’s version, he provided a good stern foil to the youthful effusiveness, of Maria and produced a surprisingly sweet Edelweiss.

Staging was also imaginative, and included some enjoyably striking scenes. Definitely a favourite thing this autumn.

Emma Pinch