Iconic musicals have the power to resonate with people for years and the Sound of Music is one that still manages to win the hearts of audiences 50 years since it first hit our screens.

For me, every time I hear the first five notes of the Hills Are Alive I get goose bumps and at a performance at the Bristol Hippodrome, I felt the same.

The show is in the city until July 4 and Playing the role of Maria is Danielle Hope, who captured the hearts of the country when she won BBC’s Over the Rainbow and made her professional debut as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

She is joined by Olivier-Award nominated actor Steven Houghton, who is well-known for Coronation Street and London’s Burning, who stars as Captain von Trapp.

The story is set in the beautiful Austrian city of Salzburg and follows the tales and tribulations of Maria Rainer, a young postulant nun who is sent to the von Trapp household to become a governess to seven children of Captain Georg.

Coupled together by the sound of music, literally, Maria and the Captain are bound into a blossoming love that eventually brings them to marriage.

However, Set in the midst of the Second World War, the family are met with the prospect of living under a Nazi regime so they plan an immediate escape from an invaded Austria towards the hills, singing on their way.

Understudy Jessica Daley playedstepped in to fill the shoes of Maria on Tuesday and she made sure that people went away knowing her name.

Having spent a long time in Salzburg, I’ve been able to see the places they mention in the show and it was really heart-warming to see that musical director David Steadman adopted the movie music to perfectly suit the walls of the baroque themed Hippodrome.

Although the show follows Maria, it was Jan Hartley, who plays Mother Abbess, who received a roaring applause from the audience after hitting notes that many did not think was possible – a few wiping tears away come the end of the show.

Praise must also be paid to the young cast who captivated the audience with their innocence, singing classics such as Do-Re-Mi and So Long, Farewell.

Fifty years on since the film version, the Sound of Music can firmly be called the best loved and most successful movie musical in history and the theatre performance at the Bristol Hippodrome is nothing short of that too, encapsulating the importance of family, love and music.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit: www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome.