Whistle Down The Wind

Whistle Down the Wind is a musical with music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also co-wrote its book with Patricia Knop and Gale Edwards, and its lyrics were written by Jim Steinman. It is based on the 1961 film of the same name whose source novel was written by Mary Hayley Bell in 1959. It tells the story of a poor farming family where the three children, Swallow, Brat and Poor Baby are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their mother. As Christmas approaches, with the prospect of no presents or luxuries, they are desperate for something to hold on to and believe in. When Swallow discovers a wounded man hiding in their barn she asks him his name and his shocked reply is “Jesus Christ”! She believes that he is Jesus come back to earth and along with her siblings and the town’s other children vow to keep the secret from the grown-ups. Meanwhile, the townsfolk are on the lookout for an escaped convict who is believed to be in their midst. As Swallow, Eleanor Carty was perfectly cast. She conveyed the innocence, the sweetness and vulnerability of Swallow in both singing and acting superbly. Her utter need to belief that The Man was Jesus was heart-rending and the eventual chemistry between the two was so movingly apparent. Both Lilly Simons-Clark as Brat and Jude Yellop as Poor Baby excelled in their roles as Swallow’s siblings. They were so natural and acted and sang beautifully. Their father, Boone, was impressively played by Martin Mould. Adam Daniels was terrific as The Man, his powerful singing voice admirably coped with the mix of musical genre and from his initial aggression he portrayed the mellowing of the character splendidly. As the rebellious Amos (along with his ‘real’ motorbike-of-the-times) Jack Draper was in his element. He looked, acted and sang the part with great aplomb and his hopeful-escapee partner, Candy, was brashly and confidently played by Katie Macdonald. Excellent support came from Rob Holsman as Edward, Louise Watkins as the Preacher, Jack Woolley as the Earl, John Paxton as the Sheriff and indeed all of the members of the Ensemble. The children were absolutely wonderful. They were - Aiden Carson, Alice Patton, Billy Stewart, Dominic Wood, Hollu Brownhill, Issy Smales Martha Bertram, Matthew McAuley, Phoebe Mellor, Polly Barton and Robert McAuley. They were all so delightful, so charmingly enthusiastic, so well disciplined and focused, they were totally in the zone each and everyone of them. The set was outstanding depicting each of the locations magnificently. I don’t think that I have ever seen a more ‘scene stealing’ set - it was just stunning and the stage crew were so accomplished at manoeuvering the ‘trucks’ it was a pleasure to watch the transformations. The set certainly added to the whole ambience as did the excellent lighting plot and it must have been very uplifting for those on stage to have such amazing surroundings in which to perform. Choreography, costumes, effective makeup, first-rate props with the added presence of live snakes, were all fine (just a few problems with sound), and together with a praiseworthy fifteen piece orchestra complemented what was a wonderful production. Congratulations must go to the production team, to the very hardworking stage crew, to the cast and to everyone involved. 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.