Whistle Down the Wind

The first thing you need to know about this version of Whistle Down the Wind is that it’s not the anthemic, US-based Andrew Lloyd Webber version. Russell Labey and Richard Taylor created this show in 1989 for the National Youth Music Theatre. It follows Mary Hayley Bell’s source novel more closely, while also referencing the 1961 movie version directed by Bryan Forbes.

There’s so much to love about this production, originally produced at the Union in 2015, not least Justin Williams’ rich, rustic set design. There are however moments in Sasha Regan’s production that seem overworked. The key moment when Cathy discovers the man she thinks to be Jesus in the barn gets a bit lost and some of the characters are closer to caricature in a way that is jarring.

Casting this show is always difficult as the complexities of Taylor’s score require strong, trained voices and Regan is lucky to have such a strong lead in Sadie Levett, who convincingly portrays Cathy, the young girl on the verge of becoming a young woman. Tara Lucas and George Hankers also play convincing pre-teens but Will Sutcliffe’s bully-boy Raymond looks oddly out of place, especially as the cast is supplemented by some of the Union’s talented Youth Theatre group.

Of the adults, Juan Miralles as the Man underscores a brusque exterior with an encroaching sense of guilt at his own deceit. The delicate relationship between him and Cathy is handled particularly well, maintaining the innocence at the heart of this allegorical tale.

The Little Match Girl review at Lilian Baylis Studio, London – ‘richly imaginative’