Music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber

Lyrics: Jim Steinman

Book: Mary Hayley Bell

Director Bill Kenwright

Reviewer Steph Rowe

The Public Reviews Rating:

Well after years of trying I have finally made it to see the production of ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ and I was not disappointed.

After watching the original 1961 film staring, Hayley Mills and Alan Bates, I did wonder how they would manage to portray the story in musical form. It’s not always easy to transpose a novel and movie to the stage without losing some of the story or atmosphere or integrity. The musical has been successfully relocated from the Lancashire countryside to the American Deep South and this is testament to the brilliant partnership of Jim Steinman’s strong emotional lyrics and the fantastic musical compositions of Andrew Lloyd-Webber.

After the death of their mother, Swallow, Brat and Poor Baby discover ‘The Man’ hiding in their barn, when Swallow asks him his identity his first words are ‘Jesus Christ’… it’s as if her prayers have been answered. While the town are searching for a fugitive, escaped from jail, the towns’ children make a pact to protect their new found saviour.

The set designed by Paul Farnsworth creatively and smoothly takes you to various locations from the barn, the town and even railway tunnels and was aided by an effective lighting design by Nick Richings

Jonathan Ansell from the ‘X- Factors G4’ takes on the role of The Man and leaves you in no doubt that he is perfect for the role. I was thoroughly amazed by his acting ability and his singing was so full of emotion that I found myself warming to his character and shedding a few tears, especially in the scenes he shared with Swallow (Carly Bawden) they gelled together so well on stage that you could almost feel the electrifying chemistry between them.

I was a little concerned when I realised how many children were actually going to be in the production, having seen several productions in the past with children from stage schools they always came across a little stiff and false, but was pleasantly surprised to find them all exceptional. Their singing and movements throughout the production only added an extra layer of depth rather than the being the usual distractionthat they tend to be in other productions. Brat and Poor baby played by the very talented Charlotte Oldroyd and Josh Simpson respectively added humour and a sense of heavy reality to the proceedings; I expect that they will both have very successful careers on stage in years to come.

I feel a production is only as strong as its weakest performer and I have to say I found it impossible to put fault on any of the cast on stage, each member of the ensemble creating believable performances from the off and only stopped when they took their final bows.

Having experienced many Lloyd-Webber musicals I have yet to find one that didn’t bring some sort of enjoyment, but Whistle Down the Wind is the first one where I have felt every sentiment of the show, from the powerful lyrics, engaging melodies to the engrossing performances, this production deserves each and every one of its five stars.

Runs until Sat 30th Jan

Whistle Down the Wind- Liverpool Empire, 4.6 out of 5 based on 12 ratings

Tags: 2010, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bill Kenwright, Carly Bawden, Charlotte Oldroyd, Jim Steinman, Jonathan Ansell, Josh Simpson, Musical, Tour, Whistle Down the Wind