The world’s best-loved musical, The Sound of Music, is coming to the Grand Theatre, Leeds, direct from the London Palladium, and will run from June 7 to 25.

This lavish and critically acclaimed production tells the uplifting true story of the Von Trapp family’s encounter with their new governess, its musical success and its flight across the mountains escaping from the Nazis, working its magic once again, for young and old alike.

Rawdon’s own Verity Rushworth will star as Maria. Verity is probably best known to TV viewers as Donna Windsor in ITV’s Emmerdale, a role she played for 11 years from 1998 to 2009. Verity, 25, went to St Mary’s School in Menston. Her recent West End theatre credits include the lead role of Penny Pingleton in Hairspray and the role of Sophie in Dougal Irvine’s production of Departure Lounge at the Waterloo East Theatre.

Jason Donovan, well-known heartthrob in the 1990s as a star of Neighbours plays Captain Von Trapp. Jason has had a hugely successful and varied career as both an actor and world-wide recording artist, selling over 13 million albums to date. His West End theatre credits include Tick in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.