CityLife

Whistle Down The Wind

Whistle Down The Wind
Opera House
March 23, 2010

It’s hard to think of the angelic-faced Jonathan Ansell stealing a tube of sweets, let alone as an escaped murderer.

Taking on the leading role of The Man in Bill Kenright’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down The Wind seemed like a challenge of casting. However, it’s one that Ansell rises to well, proving he has come a long way since his days with X Factor finalists G4.

Here we see him beefed up and bearded, his piercing blue eyes taking on the manic stare of a hunted man. As you might expect for a performer trained at Guildhall School Of Music And Drama, vocally he is excellent. But he also surprises in his ability to involve the audience emotionally in his character’s plight, proving his headline value to be much more than simply a reality TV credit.

The musical, which premiered in 1996, is based on Mary Hayley Bell’s 1959 novel of the same name, which was made into a film the following year, starring the author’s young daughter, Hayley Mills.

Webber’s musical version follows basically the same plot and themes, except he swaps the bleak Lancastrian setting for 1950s Louisiana.

Swallow, sung beautifully by Carly Bawden, finds an escaped convict (Ansell) in her barn and mistakes him for Jesus. Once her brother (Toby Smith) and sister (Alicia Kemp) are in on the secret word spreads among the kids. Soon, the Man has a barn full of little followers hanging on his every word.

The music shifts from gospel to pop opera to rock n roll, the most famous song being No Matter What, which was covered by Boyzone. Here, the song is given full-on charm with a cute yet impressive ensemble of children from Stagecoach Theatre Schools at Chester, Wilmslow and Altrincham.

The setting in America’s deep south and the older age of Swallow (almost 16) allows Webber to introduce issues of racial and sexual tension, neither of which are explored in any depth.

Inevitably, it is the original feel-good story, which juxtaposes child and adult worlds and highlights the ability for unconditional love to open the hardest of hearts, which has the audience entranced.

Whistle Down The Wind is at The Opera House until April 3, 2010.

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