The magic of one of Rogers and Hammerstein’s most famous musicals has been brought to life on the Gaiety Theatre stage in a colourful and lively new stage show.

The Douglas Choral Union’s new production of The Sound of Music opened on Friday night and the audience were treated to a near-three hour show of pitch-perfect singing and flawless dancing as the mostly young cast perfectly recreated the famous story.

The Sound of Music is a show that nearly everybody will be familiar with, and the performance of the songs, from the opening lines of the ’The Hills Are Alive’ to the emotional rendition of ’Edelweiss’ towards the climax of the show.

Emily Coates gave a bright and energetic performance as Maria, the sprightly novice nun who realises that life in a convent may not be to her liking and is sent away to look after the seven Von Trapp children, raised their by father, Captain Von Trapp, played with plenty of solemn gravity by Simon Fletcher, who is fighting to try to keep Austria away from the growing power and authority of the German Nazi party.

The stand-out stars of the show were the children, whose performances were excellent and gave the show its sense of fun and lively mischief.

From Jenny Hill, who played Leisl, through to the wonderful little prescence of nine-year-old Gertie Hills, who played the youngest Von Trapp child, Gretl, along with Oliver Sykes, Joshua Mooney, Millie Christian, Aeryn Breed and Maddie Wood, who played Freidrich, Kurt, Louisa, Brigitta and Marta, they were a joy to watch.

Throughout the show, they didn’t miss a beat and, together with Emily, gave songs such as ’A Few of My Favourite Things’ and the inventive recreation of ’The Lonely Goatherd’ a real sense of fun and enjoyment.