Whistle Down The Wind

I attended the last performance of a season of the Victorian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Whistle Down The Wind and it was a powerful performance. It is quite a dark show for one involving a lot of children and one no company should attempt without two strong leads.

This CPAC had in spades! Mitchell Stewart as “The Man”, the fugitive found in a barn who the children believe is Jesus Christ, had a commanding presence and a terrific tenor voice. He was well matched by the seventeen-year-old Emily Hansford playing the fifteen-year-old Swallow. Another great voice complimented by strong acting and there was real chemistry between the two.

As Swallow’s two younger siblings, Matilda Weaver and Soren Adkin were also strong. Austin Moore, well known to G&S fans, played their father and had a lovely voice. John Black was an intimidating Sherriff and Richard Green a slimy Snake Preacher, but there were many roles, all well taken.

The production was good, with a structure at the back being changed to reflect the different scenes and sets being moved on and off as the action progressed. There were no dull moments. The choreography was interesting and well done.

As with the last show I saw at CPAC, the orchestra was the main problem. They were fine in the more intimate numbers, but once the drummer joined in, the words were lost, and this included some dialogue over music. If this problem could be rectified they would be snapping at the heels of the major companies in Melbourne. Well done!

Graham Ford

Images: Soren Adkin (Poor Baby), Katya Adkin (Brat), Mitchell Stewart (The man), Emily Henderson (Child) & Hannah Allars (Child) and (lower) Boone (Austin Moore), Poor baby (Soren Adkin), Brat (Katya Adkin), Swallow (Georgia Thompson) and Amos (Brock Downie).