Based on Whistle Down the Wind by Mary Hayley Bell and its eponymous 1961 film adaptation, Whistle Down the Wind premiered in Washington on 12 December 1996, with plans to open on Broadway the following year. While the Broadway production was cancelled, a West End production bowed on 1 July 1998, running for 1 044 performances. The musical features a book by Gale Edwards, Patricia Knop and Andrew Lloyd Webber, with a score featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman. Rights are available from Andrew Lloyd Webber Show Licensing (in the United Kingdom) and Concord Theatricals.
The Story
When hope rises, hearts awaken.
It’s three days before Christmas in 1959 and Swallow, a young girl on the verge of womanhood, attends a church service alongside a freeway near a small Louisiana town with her father, Boone, and her two siblings, Brat and Poor Baby (“The Vaults of Heaven”). Swallow’s mother has recently died and the family takes comfort from their belief in God. In fact, religion plays a huge part in this relatively poor community and its people are nonetheless grateful to God for what they have. A large neon sign at the side of the road proclaims “Jesus Lives,” and the minister tells the community that they will be damned if they don’t recognize the second coming of Christ. These words leave a lasting impression on the three grieving children, especially Swallow.
After the service, the children play under the freeway (“Overture”). Swallow prays for her mother to guide her journey as a young woman, while her siblings dream of lipstick and liquorice (“I Never Get What I Pray For”). The children suddenly realise that the sun has set and that they will be late getting home. They know their father will be worried and start to rush to the trailer where they live. On the way they meet Earl, who is carrying a sack of kittens, which he plans to drown. He throws the sack into a sewer and goes on his way. Swallow saves the kittens and the children run home (“Home by Now”). They are slowed down by an encounter with Amos, a teenage rebel. Although he has a girlfriend, Candy, he has taken a shine to Swallow. He offers her a ride on his motorcycle, but Swallow runs off telling him that she has to get home as she’ll be in trouble for staying out so late.
Boone waits inside the trailer, preparing supper for himself and the kids. He is listening to the radio and just before he switches it off, a warning is given about a killer who has escaped from prison and killed two guards in the process. The children arrive, having hidden the kittens in the barn. Boone tells the kids that money is tight and there may not be any presents this Christmas. Swallow tells him all she wants for Christmas is her mother. Boone tries to comfort her with the words his wife always used to put things right (“It Just Doesn’t Get Any Better than This”/”Whistle Down the Wind”).
Swallow goes out to the barn to see the kittens. After she prays for her mother’s return, there is a loud clap of thunder and she sees a man hidden in the hay. She asks who he is; in shock, the badly injured man exclaims, “Jesus Christ,” and passes out. The children argue whether or not The Man is Jesus after noticing the wounds on his hands and feet, remembering the minister’s harsh words in the sermon earlier on. Brat reminds Swallow that Jesus can raise the dead. This could be their chance to get their mother back and the children promise to shelter The Man (“The Vow”).
Meanwhile, in a nearby bar, Ed and the townspeople sing “Cold.” Amos arrives to talk to Candy. She tells him that they must get out of this little town and Amos promises to take her to see the world. The Sheriff arrives and tells Edward and Candy to leave as the state police are on their way and they, as African American people, should not be found there. He then tells the locals that he has found a set of prison clothes a quarter of a mile away, indicating that the escaped convict is nearby. He warns them that the prisoner would not hesitate to kill again and forms a gang of vigilantes to hunt down the devil in their midst.
Back in the barn, The Man has just woken up and Swallow tells him about her family. The Man asks if they know who he is and if they have told anyone he is there. The children say they have only told their friends and The Man tells them they must keep his presence a secret as the adults will kill him if they find him. Boone and Ed arrive, removing the pitchfork that the kids placed against the door. The Man hides while the kids distract the adults by asking if Jesus might have tattoos when he returns. Swallow says Jesus had better stay away from their town, as the people are so cruel they would crucify him before he had a chance to speak. She asks Ed why people around town are whispering secretively and Ed tells her that some corrupt thing has blown in from outside town. Eventually, they leave and The Man thinks about the “Unsettled Scores” of his life. Later that night, Swallow returns to the barn. The Man is amazed that she has come to see him in the middle of the night. He asks what she wants and Swallow tells him she wants her mother back (“If Only”). The Man says he is too tired to perform a miracle, but he promises to bring her mother back if she takes care of him.
Candy and Amos are out on the highway. Amos has been beaten by his father for refusing to work at the factory. Together, they dream of everything they want from life (“Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts”). Amos promises Candy that he will meet her the next evening so they can leave town together. Ed arrives and tells Candy some laws must not be broken, even if they are wrong; she should not be seen with a white boy in daylight.
The townsfolk grow increasingly anxious about the killer (“Safe Haven”). The children, on their way to the barn, meet Amos and ask if he is going to the upcoming revival meeting. He asks Swallow about her secret but she doesn’t betray The Man. The children continue on their way (“Long Overdue for a Miracle”/”When Children Rule the World”).
The children arrive at the barn and plead with the man to tell them a story. He finally agrees (“Annie Christmas”). The children give the man gifts (“No Matter What”), while the townspeople decide how to handle the convict once they find him. They are determined to kill him.
When Swallow and the man are alone, he asks her to fetch a package a friend has left for him in a train tunnel four miles away (Introduction to Act II”). Swallow promises that she will find a way to fetch the package and the man asks her not to look inside it. He notices that she is trembling and she sees that he is too (“Try Not to Be Afraid”). Amos arrives at the barn to say goodbye to Swallow. The man suggests Swallow uses him to get to the tunnel and hides away as Amos enters the barn. He overhears Amos telling Swallow that sometimes he lays awake at night dreaming of her (“A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste”). Amos breaks his promise to meet Candy and takes Swallow to the train tunnel on his motorcycle.
At the train tunnel, Swallow is almost killed by a train but is pulled clear by Amos. They don’t notice Daryl in the shadows. Swallow tells Amos that she owes him own and he asks her to run away with him. She says she can’t and he pushes her to reveal her secret. She says Jesus is hiding in her barn. The Sheriff arrives and reprimands Amos, saying he risked Swallow’s life by bringing her to the tunnel. When Swallow arrives home, Boone tells her she should be more careful as a devil is on the loose. Swallow replies that Jesus will protect her and storms off.
Poor Baby’s kitten dies and he is upset that Jesus didn’t save it. Swallow suggests they go and ask The Man why he let it die (“If Only (Reprise)”). They go to the barn and Swallow gives The Man his package. He asks her what he can do for her and she tells him to tell Poor Baby why he let the kitten die. He tells them the story of Annie’s husband (“Charlie Christmas”), explaining that when your time is up, then you die. Poor Baby is unsatisfied with this explanation and storms out of the barn. The man explains to Swallow that everyone – including her mother – has to die sometime. Swallow tells the man that she was almost killed by a train but she was not scared because she knew he was with her in her heart and that he loved her. After she leaves, the man contemplates the regrets that he has had in life as he opens the package that Swallow delivered. It is a gun.
Near the highway, Candy is still waiting for Amos to take her away from the town (“Offramp Exit to Paradise”). Amos arrives and asks her if she has seen Swallow; he has realised that The Man is the killer and that Swallow is in danger. Angrily, Candy tells him she has been waiting for hours and that he will never leave: he will grow old and die in that town. Amos leaves and Daryl arrives, telling Candy what he saw and heard in the tunnel. He explains that the escaped killer is hiding in Swallow’s barn and that she thinks he is Jesus. The townspeople pass (“Safe Haven (Reprise)”) and Candy decides to seize her chance for revenge on Amos and Swallow.
At the revival meeting, the people prepare to test their faith in Jesus by handling snakes (“Wrestle with the Devil”). Candy, Amos and Swallow arrive, and Candy tells everyone that the killer is hiding in Swallow’s barn. Amos tries to tell Swallow he did not tell Candy about The Man, but Swallow rushes off to warn the man. The townspeople set off to kill the man (
The Hunt”). The Sheriff tells Candy to get on a bus out of town and not to come back.
On her way to the barn, Swallow meets her father. He tells her not to go to the barn but Swallow says he does not care about her, but that The Man does and loves her. She runs off. The townspeople head towards the barn to kill The Man. The children block the entrance to protect him while Swallow rushes in to warn him.
The Man says he has to run for it but Swallow tells him she will keep him safe. He tries to tell her she has got him all wrong and that she should get out of the barn. Swallow says she knows who he is. He asks her what if he had spent five years in prison and that the wounds were self-inflicted to help him escape. Swallow says she would not believe him. He asks whether Jesus would lie. Swallow tells him she would forgive him even if he had done something too terrible to imagine. As a last resort, the man tells her he cannot bring her mother back. Swallow only says she knows, but she doesn’t want him to leave her because she needs him (“The Nature of the Beast”).
The mob arrives outside the barn. Cornered and with no way out, the man pulls out the gun. At first, he decides to use Swallow as a hostage but he changes his mind and pushes her outside, closing the door behind her. He pours gasoline around the barn and lights a match. The barn bursts into flames with the man still inside it. After the fire has burnt out, Amos finally catches up with Swallow and tells her he did not tell anyone about the man in her barn. Boone tells her The Man wasn’t Jesus and the Sheriff tells them he has gone without a trace of him. In the remains of the burnt-out barn, Swallow remembers her mother’s words (“Whistle Down the Wind”). Somehow, there is light in the darkness.
Commentary
While Whistle Down the Wind isn’t one of Lloyd Webber’s best works, it doesn’t get the credit it’s due. The show certainly has its flaws, particularly in the way it handles the final beats of the story in its book, where Swallow never really comes into her own – which is a problem for a show that is a coming-of-age story at its core. That said, some of the songs in the show are simply fantastic, including the devastating “Unsettled Scores,” the gloriously camp “Tire Tracks and Broken Hearts” and the utterly unpretentious title song. Even when the cheese factor amps up in something like “When Children Rule the World,” Lloyd Webber and Steinman serve up a fun, modern Christmas carol. Whistle Down the Wind may not be perfect, but it doesn’t deserve the sheer dismissal and even hatred that some musical theatre critics and fans have sent its way.
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