A Review

Whistling In The Dark

By R. J. Donovan

Sometime during the winter of 1996, I stood on a Manhattan sidewalk just off 8th Avenue and watched workmen putting up the marquee for a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical called “Whistle Down The Wind.” 

Unfortunately, all the theater would ever see of the show was the marquee, because the out of town tryout in Washington D.C. was so disappointing, the Broadway run was scrapped. The show has had an interesting history since then.

Not unlike Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar,” ABBA’s “Chess” and  others, a concept album was created.  Featuring stars such as Elaine Paige, Michael Ball, Tom Jones, and the boy band Boyzone, the recording generated some buzz and several of the songs caught on.

Eventually, a revised version of the original show opened in London and played what was considered to be a healthy run.  Moving forward to 2001, British producer Bill Kenwright mounted  yet another revised production for a tour throughout Britain.  The new version eventually transferred to London’s West End for a limited run in 2006.

Last fall, that production began an American tour, providing this country with a look at the show that, more than a decade before, had shut down before making its way to Broadway.

The American tour began at Houston’s Theatre Under The Stars and played dates in Hartford, St. Paul, Sacramento and Seattle when a Boston engagement was announced for the Citi Wang.  As the opening approached, all seats became available for $25 in celebration of The Patriots playing in the Super Bowl.  And finally, on January 31, as the show was playing at the Wang, the bulk of the remaining American tour was cancelled (even though as of February 7, the show’s website still appeared to be selling tickets for dates through May).

So having provided a look at the metamorphosis of “Whistle Down The Wind,” I can only say the result on stage is not an example of success through perseverance Rather, it seems to have become The Little Show That Couldn’t.

The plot is based on the 1961 English film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Mary Hayley Bell.  For the musical version, the setting was shifted from Britain to Louisiana, seemingly so the score could capitalize on rich southern musical themes. The characters would be firmly embedded in the Bible Belt.

A sweet and innocent 15 year old girl named Swallow has just lost her Mom.  She is naturally heartbroken.  She and two of her younger siblings soon find a stranger hiding in their barn. Through a misunderstanding, they believe him to be Jesus Christ ("asleep in the hay").  In reality, he is an escaped  prisoner with bloodied hands and feet.  He asks them not to tell anyone of his whereabouts, and, again, believing he is Jesus, they obey. Meanwhile, the entire town is on the lookout for him.

The cast is large, the set is looming, and for the first time in a long time, the sound is impeccable at The Wang.  If only the product had  more to offer.

This is a show that should be bristling with life and movement and great rhythms.  I  can't recall ever seen such a large company of actors just stand there on stage.  Their movement is limited, and when it does occur, there appears to be little thought given to it.  Certainly an odd choice in direction -- as is the wall that comes sliding down in front of a children’s chorus while they’re still singing.  Valiant little troupers that they are, they continue to sing long after they’re blocked off from view. 

Despite its potential, the show just doesn’t grab you as there’s no intensity in the storytelling.  Plot lines are begun but never expanded upon, characters aren’t developed, and nothing about any of it fires you up to care about what you’re seeing.

The show’s web site reminds us that the show is “powerful,” and that “Whistle Down The Wind” will be “one of the great successes” in theater.   Further, in a video posted on the website, Kenwright says he’s directed the show “just with America in mind.”  Hmmmm. 

That said, at the heart of the show are a cluster of very talented actors, doing their best with what they have. 

Eric Kunze plays The Man in the barn and his voice positively soars when he sings.  He’s blessed with leading man good looks and a subtle stage presence.  He’s particularly good in "Soliloquy" and "So Many Cries."

As Swallow, Whitney Bashor also sings with bell-like clarity.   Nadine Jacobson and Austin J. Zambito-Valente play her little brother and sister and both have a natural stage ability, despite little Austin playing a good deal of his lines turned away from the audience.  Again, an interesting choice in direction.

Of the musical numbers, two of the songs are memorable.  The title song (the opening bars of which sounds an awful lot like "Moonlight In Vermont”) is sweet and touching, especially as delivered by Bahnor.  And “No Matter What” (which was a hit for Boyzone) is also engaging.  Both of these songs have been popular selections at Lloyd Webber concerts. 

For the record: the music is by Andrew Lloyd Webber; the book is by Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards and Lloyd Webber; and lyrics are by Jim Steinman (who wrote Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell" ). Director Bill Kenwright is also the producer.

The creative powers have been trying to churn this into a hit since that day I stood on the street and watched those workmen on Broadway. 

But as the little children sing in “Whistle Down The Wind,” “I can’t be what I’m not.” 

"Whistle Down The Wind" played at The Citi Wang Theatre through February 3.

-- OnStage Boston