Whistle Down the Wind

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down the Wind is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Hayley Bell, but moves the action from Lancashire to a small town in Louisiana.  There are many changes of location and to give continuity to the story set changes must be swift.  A great deal of thought and planning had obviously gone into the cleverly designed set to make maximum use of this small stage.  The main set changing was a bit like a large puzzle with two trucks with flats on two sides being rotated and opened as required.  The most important set is the Barn, as this is where most of the action occurs, and this was very effective.  All the scene changes were efficiently handled by costumed stagehands.  The costumes had been well sourced and looked appropriate.  The lighting was well designed, creating the correct atmosphere for each scene, culminating in the ‘barn fire’, which with the combination of sound and smoke was very realistic.  The sound levels were well controlled with good use of microphones enabling younger voices to be heard clearly, also there were many appropriate sound effects.  On opening night there were one or two glitches with sound and lighting but I am sure these would have been rectified by the next performance.

Musically this is a challenging show which all the cast handled well under the joint musical directors, Allan and Karen Gillespie, Karen being responsible for the children.  Allan, as conductor, had control over the orchestra and singers at all times, with excellent balance between instruments and voices.  Diction was mostly good there were only a couple of places I did not hear the words.  The opening number ‘Vaults of Heaven’ was particularly rousing setting the story firmly in a ‘God fearing’ Baptist community.  Whilst all the singing was of a high standard, I was particularly impressed by Greg Aston’s singing and there was no doubt that the children could really ‘Rule the World’!

The show had been well cast with excellent individual performances.  Lauren Bott, as ‘Swallow’, gave a mature performance as the elder daughter who is trying to protect the younger children and hold the family together, after the death of their mother.  She prays for help and because of her religious upbringing and naivety, has a firm conviction that ‘The Man’ in the barn is Jesus. 

Greg Aston as ‘The Man’ brought a surprising sensitivity to the role.  I know this character can be interpreted in different ways but my interpretation was that he was the escaped convict but a miracle did take place in the barn, as, through ‘Swallow’, he became a reformed character, who managed to escape before the fire took hold.  The depth of feeling he showed in ‘A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste’, when he realises what he has lost, was excellent.

Ellie Cousins as ‘Brat’ and Oliver Dyer as ‘Poor Baby’ gave strong performances as Swallow’s younger siblings.  The scene in the kitchen was lovely with them complaining about the food, not realising what a difficult time their father is having trying to do his best for them.

Malcolm White, as ‘Boone’ their father, gave a sensitive portrayal as a man who was obviously struggling to cope with the loss of his wife and desperately trying to care for his children under difficult circumstances.

Kier Kille and Hannah Bennett as ‘Amos’ and ‘Candy, gave convincing performances as two young people who feel confined by the town they are living in and want to escape.  They looked and behaved differently to the other townspeople.  I expect that neither of them has ever been upstaged by a motorbike before!

Tim Jones, as the ‘Snake Preacher’, and Stephen Bennett as ‘Earl’, had created characters who supported the feeling of unease amongst the townspeople.  They really were unwelcome outsider revivalists, who were causing dissent in the community.

The children were well rehearsed and confident, always sure of their positions on stage, singing and acting well.

The other cast members Edward, the Minister, the Sherriff, Deputy and Ensemble all strongly supported the action and helped the story to unfold, making this a well rounded production.

Directors Sarah and Jonathan Dyer had used the different levels of the stage to full effect, created some lovely pictures, and established very still freezes.  They had also once again worked hard with their cast helping them to understand their roles and encouraging well-rounded characters, with everyone working as a team, moving the story forward with pace and confidence.  Well done everyone.  

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