The Sound of Music revival confirms initial casting

Opera North has announced that soprano Katie Bird will take on the role of Maria in The Sound of Music at Leeds Grand Theatre from 9 July to 1 August 2026.

The production is based on Curve’s hit staging, which opened in Leicester at the end of 2025. It will be performed by the Chorus and Orchestra of Opera North and directed by Nikolai Foster, whose theatre credits include Kinky Boots, My Fair Lady and A Chorus Line.

Members of the original Curve creative team returning for the production include set and costume designer Michael Taylor, lighting designer Mark Henderson and choreographer Ebony Molina. Oliver Rundell will serve as musical director.

Alongside Bird, Katherine Broderick will play Mother Abbess. She is currently touring with Opera North as Marcellina in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Broderick won the 2007 Kathleen Ferrier Award and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig.

Members of the Chorus of Opera North will also take on named roles in the production. Kamil Bień will play Rolf Gruber, Amy Freston will appear as Baroness Elsa Schraeder and Nicholas Butterfield will play Max Detweiler. Molly Barker-Knowles will play Sister Berthe, Hannah Mason will appear as Sister Margaretta and Gillene Butterfield will play Sister Sophia. Dean Robinson will appear as Franz, Claire Pascoe as Frau Schmidt, Ivan Sharpe as Herr Zeller and Tim Ochala-Greenough as Admiral von Schreiber. Complete casting is to be revealed.

Featuring music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, The Sound of Music opened on Broadway in 1959. It was later adapted into a film in 1965 starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Based on a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, the musical follows Maria, a novice nun sent to care for the von Trapp children. Through music and creativity she wins over the children and their father, Captain von Trapp. As political circumstances change in Austria, the family is forced to flee.

Laura Canning, general director of Opera North, said: “We are delighted to be bringing another musical theatre classic to Leeds following the success of My Fair Lady at Leeds Playhouse. The Sound of Music continues to enthral audiences wherever it’s performed, and this Made in Curve production promises to appeal to everyone who has already fallen under the story’s charm, while also engaging a whole new generation of fans.

“Hearing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s iconic score performed by the Orchestra of Opera North in the historic surroundings of Leeds Grand Theatre promises to be a truly special occasion.”

Tickets for under-30s will be available for £10. Leeds Grand Theatre will also offer £22 seats through its Secret Seats scheme. The run will include matinee and accessible performances, including captioned, British Sign Language interpreted and audio described performances with touch tours.

The Sound of Music features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse.