The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music opens at The Crescent Theatre on Saturday 24 April, and it's not just a one-off — it runs through to Saturday 1 May, so you've got a good window to catch it over a couple of weekends. It's billed as the final collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein, and it's held up as one of the most beloved musicals in the world, which is a fair claim given how many of the songs have lived on long after the show itself.

If you've only known it through the film or the records, you'll recognise the big ones: 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain', 'My Favourite Things', 'Do-Re-Mi', 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen', and the title number. They're the songs that usually carry the show, and they're all in here. The story follows Maria, a free-spirited novice who's sent to be a governess in the strict household of Captain von Trapp. He's got seven rowdy children and a steely heart that she gradually softens, and at its core, it's the story of the Trapp Family Singers, playing out themes of love and family.

It's a well-known story, and that's part of the draw — it's the kind of show that works just as well if you've seen it a dozen times as it does if you're coming to it fresh. The run starts on Saturday 24 April and goes until Saturday 1 May, so there are plenty of dates to choose from if a particular evening doesn't suit. You'll find it at The Crescent Theatre on Sheepcote Street, Birmingham B16 8AE.