Whistle Down The Wind

I do love Helen Sharpe’s direction.  She always manages to bring a fresh and interesting approach to a show.  The opening was effective and showcased the cast from the very beginning.

I have seen the original version of this show, which was set in the Lake District, and I think that moving it to Bible Belt USA gave it an edge that was missing in the original.  Andrew Lloyd Webbers music is fine but I do object to the regular reprising of some songs.  The show has some lovely music but it would be much nicer to have some extra tunes instead.

Having said that, the cast did a brilliant job and every single performance was noteworthy.  Rebecca Wallace (Swallow) has a beautiful singing voice which she used to great effect.  Her performance was well judged, passionate and believable.  Anthony Bristoe’s performance as the Man was terrific, and his vocal range is exceptional.    Louisa Gallucci was excellent as Brat, a beautiful singing voice and a very convincing performance.  Ethan Saggers was Poor Baby, a terrific performance with some lovely characterisation.   I was only able to watch one performance so I can only comment on the children that I saw, although I am sure that the other team were equally as good!  Gareth Barton was Boone, their father, played with wonderful sensitivity and another great voice.   Matthew Wallace played Amos, the angst ridden teenage rebel, very well and Natalie McMillan played the rebellious teenager Candy perfectly.   These two characters are not in the original production but adding them to the mix brought an extra strength to the story.

Ian Gilbert (Ed McGarry) Ben Jeffreys (Sheriff Smith) and Michael James (Earl/Snake Preacher) completed the main Principal line-up.   All of them had well observed characters.  I must, particularly, compliment Michael James who took over the role of Snake Preacher at the very last minute due to a cast member illness.  No-one would have known, which is exactly how it should be, well done!

The children in the team that I watched were superb, without exception they sang out, acted their parts with conviction and had terrific stage presence.  The future of musical theatre is looking good!

The ensemble were excellent, great musicality and strong characters.  MD Stuart Woolner brought out every single nuance to the vocals and the band were supportive without being obtrusive.

The scenery was excellent, although quite complicated, and the crew handled the moves smoothly and speedily, not once was the pace of the show compromised.   Costumes were simple but right for the show, lighting and sound were excellent.   Overall this was a terrific performance which rightly gained great applause from the audience.

My thanks, also, for the excellent welcome and company during the interval, it is so helpful to have the opportunity to speak to the production team during my visit.

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