The Sound Of Music at the Lyceum Theatre Sheffield Review
The Sound of Music
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
2-14 February 2015
Reviewed by Tracey Flintham
This was my first visit to Sheffield city centre and I was relieved there were signs for the theatre area which took me to the locality. I parked in the Charles Street car park which was recommended on the theatre’s website, and if you ask in the theatre they can give you a 1 hour free parking ticket for use in the Charles Street car park. It cost me £6.50 for around 4 hours parking. I didn’t notice any signs indicating which way to go to the theatre on leaving the car park, and with not being familiar with the area I had to ask directions. It was a couple of minutes walk from the car park to the theatre.
There were lots of eateries around the theatre so if you wanted a meal beforehand it would be very convenient. The theatre, from the outside, looks like quite a grand old building, but inside it is modern and nicely decorated. Everything is clearly signed so it is easy to know where to go to the box office, bars, stalls, etc…
We collected our tickets from the box office then went for a quick drink in the bar area. The bar area is quite large and the drinks are reasonably priced with card payments being accepted at the bars but not at the smaller confectionery stands. The bar area was clean and light and a pre-ordering service for interval drinks is also available.
An announcement was given 3 minutes before the production started so we went through to our seats in the stalls. The seats were quite small but comfortable enough and the building is really quite impressive to look at. The theatre was clean throughout and all the staff I came across were very friendly and helpful.
The show started just after 7:30pm and tells the story of the Von Trapp family living in Austria in the 1930s and Maria who is a novice in the local Nonnberg Abbey. Maria, being quite high spirited, is sent to work for Captain Von Trapp as a governess for his 7 children and brings music and singing into their lives. Danielle Hope plays Maria beautifully with her strong singing voice and is well complimented by Jan Hartley who plays the Mother Abbess. All the actors played their parts enthusiastically and convincingly and the seven children in particular were all superb and acted their parts brilliantly.
The stage set alternated between Nonnberg Abbey and the Von Trapp House in a simple yet effective manner. There were 2 acts with an interval, and with 12 songs in act 1 and 10 songs in act 2 the production finished at around 22:10.
My 7 year old daughter is a big fan of The Sound of Music film so she accompanied me on this review. It was a big success and she was singing along to all the well-known songs, such as My Favourite Things, Do-Re-Mi, So Long, Farewell and, of course, The Sound of Music.
We had a fantastic night out, the time passed really quickly and The Sound of Music is a family production suitable for all ages. I have seen The Sound of Music on the stage in other productions and this one didn’t disappoint at all.
Finally, as I now know where the Lyceum Theatre is I would visit this venue for other productions in the future.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £22 to £37 (plus £1.50 transaction fee).
The Sound of Music is at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield until 14 February 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0114 249 6000.
Sheffield Theatres, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA | Box Office 0114 249 6000
