If you are looking for an afternoon of Lloyd Webber music then you can whistle!
This is the first musical to be written from the book by Mary Haley Bell and draws from the book and the film that starred her daughter Haley Mills. With a cracking script by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, the story is set in England and not the USA as is the West End musical.
The young cast are really proficient with the accents and have been schooled well in always being involved and in character as the story unfolds. The main characters are the three children of a recently widowed farmer who struggles to keep the family together with the help of his sister. After the children save some kittens from drowning they stumble upon a man in a barn. Who are you they ask?
The man, woken from sleep, says ‘Jesus Christ’ and the children, having been brought up to believe all the bible stories as literal truth, accept him as the second coming. At the same time, the police and local men are on the scent of an escaped murderer and how that pans out is the story of Whistle down the Wind.
The three Bostock siblings are very good but a special mention is needed of Tilly Chitty as Nan who lights up all her scenes. Chris Brown as the complaining vicar also makes an impact when he is on stage.
The man played by Alex Green has good stage presence and his scenes with Nicola Myers as the eldest daughter are very good. Marland Barsby is an all-rounder and gets the best of the limited comedy. Eloise Hare is very credible as the put-upon Aunt and relates well to the children and Mr Bostock played convincingly by Edward Bartram.
The music is good and the youngsters are in good voice but it does not have the melodies of the good lord of the West End.
If you haven’t seen that version then you do not need to put it aside and can concentrate on a story well performed.
Show Times: Runs to August 11, 2.10pm
Ticket Prices: £7.50 (£6.50)