Whistle Down the Wind

This curious musical from the pen of relentless musical machine Andrew Lloyd Webber takes its inspiration from Mary Hayley Bell’s novel of the same name which was made into a successful film: as the 1961 film was filmed in and around Downham and Pendle, it’s something of a local favourite and alas, as is the nature of adaptations, this stage musical version of the tale relocates the action to the Louisiana of the late 1950s. As is the way with musical treatments of very British subjects, the location is almost always switched to the good old US of A to give the themes of the piece a more recognisable and universal appeal. BMTC have always had a winning way with carefully crafted and heartfelt productions - and a reputation for being able to fill an auditorium! - and fortunately, both of these plus points were very much in evidence with ‘Whistle Down the Wind’. 

An escaped convict is on the loose in the Bible Belt and the show opens strongly with ‘Keys to the Vaults of Heaven’, probably the strongest song in the musical which was very well performed by the company, making for an effective opening number. The set was a triumph of the effective minimalism David ‘Wally’ Walton is justly famous for: a multi purpose playing area which enabled quick and easy changes of scene while always retaining a flavour of the overall look and ‘feel’ of the show.  The music in the show is unfortunately pretty thin gruel, which is a shame as there’s a lot of it: reprise after reprise follow on from each other and there isn’t much spoken dialogue in the show, the score instead providing much in the way of bridging music of a recitative-like fashion to connect the big tunes. Chris Andrews kept the band under tight control throughout the performance and the conflation of musical styles - gospel, rock, show-tunes, ballads etc - which make up the score was well served as a result.

With a show such as this, it’s vital that the production steers clear of cloying sentimentality and the natural tendency to be winsome in the extreme. With a cast which is dominated by younger actors in the most important roles, it can easily become an exercise in parading children about the stage to rely on the ‘Aah’ factor. BMTC fortunately avoided the dreadful curse of the egregious effect which is  produced by spotlighting showbiz kids and letting them seduce the audience with their antics. The central triumvirate of Swallow, Brat and Poor Baby we’re very well performed by Madison Boyle, Isabella Crossley and Alex Galiatsatos, Madison in particular leading the way with a controlled and commanding stage presence. Other performances in the show were a little uneven but it was obvious that a good deal of heart and commitment had gone into the production from all concerned. 

The small town community with an escaped convict at large - and snake wielding religious crackpots (don’t ask!) causing trouble - was brought to life very well by the chorus who did a superb job in adding an earthy and memorable milieu to the main events as they unfolded. If here was something of Benjamin Britten’s The Borough from ‘Peter Grimes’ in the makeup of the locals, I could have done with a bit more of the shady underbelly of hypocrisy which usually accompanies such communities in stage pieces such as this. Having the same performer as both the Minister and the Preacher - as good as Richard Hubbard was in both roles - also fatally undermined the background narrative and completely upended the plot, leading me to wonder if the production team had given up on filling in the background details of the show in favour of throwing a spotlight on ‘The Man’ and the children. This was a real shame as it really did have a deadening effect on the progress of the narrative and skewed the point of the relationships between the characters in the drama. Instead of a fully realised story, we were left instead with a series of vignettes which were fairly empty as a result of having little in the way of a linking thread. Despite this, it is worth mentioning Sue Chadwick’s impressive performance in the town bar in particular and the solid work put in by the company throughout the show in general. Sympathetic choreography from Katie Fry helped to knit together the characterisations and created a company which was very much in-step - in every sense of the word.

Nick Gunn as ‘The Man’ - discovered in Swallow’s barn and assumed in her confused young head with the Second Coming - gave a very good account of himself and was a reliably confident presence on stage all evening. If certain musical notes here and there got the better of him, Nick wisely chose to colour these vocal blips with an excess of emotion which did no harm at all in suggesting a character painted realistically in three dimensions. The scenes between Nick and Madison were definitely the show’s most memorable moments and the two performers made an excellent pairing together. Edward Munday did a sterling job as lone parent Boone, carefully crafting a sympathetic character who again, was much more than a cardboard cut-out impression of ‘put-upon father’ as a result. He and Madison together also very nearly managed to sail the show’s title song out of the sugary swamp of sentimentality where it was moored... almost. Boone and the children made for an appealing set of characters on stage: full marks all round here. Kris Wlodarczyk played the part of Edward (a character whose role in the show I had to resort to Google in order to discover) and was a solid presence on stage throughout and Simon Thompson threw in some nifty work with the snakes as part of his - frankly quite bonkers - portrayal of the travelling revivalist with a peculiar take on missionary work, with Martin Cottam providing strong support as the Sheriff.

Of course, as the show is set in the Louisiana of 1959, the show couldn’t be without its ‘rebel without a cause’ and his would-be moll and in this production, these two stock characters were provided by Ryan Coe as Amos and Laura Mitchell as Candy. Ryan proved that he was more than a stereotype with a leather jacket and a motorbike by giving the character a much more sympathetic demeanour than might have been expected and Laura Mitchell was simply wonderful as Candy: criminally underused in the show, Laura set the stage alight with her every appearance. The two performers proved to be rather more capable than their subplot characters deserved and my congratulations go to both of you. The motorbike was pretty nifty too and managed to get about on the stage remarkably well thanks to a slick piece of work from the stage crew. ‘Tire Tracks’ (its the American spelling I’m sticking with dear reader, fear not) and ‘Off Ramp Exit’ were unexpected gems in their hands as the duo brought a sparkle to each other’s performances. 

This show is very much the story of Swallow, the bewildered children and ‘The Man’ however and perhaps the decision to concentrate on this central aspect of the production was a wise one. As we know, putting children on stage at all in this day and age is a minefield all of its own and BMTC must have worked very hard to find, retain and rehearse young performers of some ability. The youthful presence on stage was a tonic and the youngsters gave an exceptional account of themselves. Swallow’s various musical performances were the standout moments of the show and Madison brought a direct and forthright talent to the role which was a pleasure to witness: all this and only 16! Together with Alex and Isabella, Madison helped to make sure that the show was in very safe hands. The counterpoint to youthful naïveté was nicely drawn by Nick Gunn’s ‘The Man’, making these scenes particularly effective, even if as a whole, the show didn’t really add up.

Technical points in the production were incredibly impressive across the board. Effective lighting added to the drama and painted some wonderful stage pictures when combined with Wally’s magnificent set and the sound was pin sharp all evening with no problems in balancing vocals with the orchestra. Costumes were of a very good standard very much in keeping with the era and the stage projections which peppered the events on stage throughout were effective and well worked, never feeling like an unnecessary add-on. The whole ‘look’ of the production was first class. 

BMTC should be justly proud of bringing a production to the stage which was brimming with talent and which looked and sounded quite superb. True, the show is overburdened with some of  the most squirmingly sentimental songs ever permitted to grace the stage (the treatment of ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ here was an exception but ‘No Matter What’ lived up - or should that be down? - to its reputation as the worst kind of sing-song nursery rhyme slop) but that’s a complaint which ought to be levelled at the show rather than this production of it. The confusion about the portrayal of the various factions swirling around in the background of the narrative did prove to be a big issue for me however and the decision to focus on set-pieces rather than to tie the show together effectively I found a bit of an issue unfortunately. I could have managed quite happily without the rather drawn-out finale/bows too - reprising the reprises was definitely over-egging the pudding rather than gilding the lily for me! The chorus numbers in the show were very effectively presented and showcased the talents of the whole company really well, ‘Wrestle with the Devil’ and ‘Cold’ in particular. It therefore seemed a pity to end on unwanted repetition rather than with happy memories of the impressive stage business the evening had provided. 

That said, a packed house at the Empire had a thoroughly enjoyable evening of top quality live entertainment and that’s really what it’s all about. There wasn’t a dissenting voice amongst anyone in the audience I spoke to and - quite rightly - the most fulsome praise was reserved for the talented young performers on stage who gave an exceptional account of themselves. My thanks go to all at BMTC for giving me a very warm welcome and for making my first ‘official’ visit as District 3 Rep such a memorable one. I look forward to the next production - ‘Hello Dolly’ - eagerly.

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