Musical still packs a mean punch

An expectant audience at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, on Monday (Feb 22) were treated to a powerful, debut performance by opera star Jonathan Ansell in Bill Kenwright’s production of Whistle Down The Wind.

The former lead singer with G4 had a commanding presence on stage and proved he has the acting abilities to match his outstanding tenor voice.

He was ably supported in his lead role by recent drama school graduate Carly Bawden as Swallow, the girl who finds Ansell’s mysterious man and mistakenly thinks he is Jesus Christ.

Bawden’s excellent all-round performance lit up the stage, literally at times, as the innocent, almost angelic, 15-year-old on the brink of adulthood.

The show, set in Louisiana’s Bible-belt in the 1950s, explored the contrast between the innocence and purity of childhood and the cynicism and corruption found in adult life.

Nowhere was it seen more than in the show’s most famous number, No Matter What, which begins with a moving scene of children offering gifts to the man they believe to be Jesus, before the adult ensemble break in with a heavier, angry rendition of the song.

The two child actors, Alicia Kemp as Brat and Toby Smith as Poor Baby, Swallow’s younger siblings, were brilliant in their roles and did well in portraying their characters’ struggles with life’s complexities, including the death of their mother.

Lincoln Stone, playing the children’s father, Boone, gave a wonderful rendition of the title song and it was a shame his voice did not feature more in the show. He will be a more than able understudy to Ansell in tomorrow’s matinee.

Carl Stallwood gave a strong performance in the role of Amos, a young man frustrated by his unrequited love for Swallow. Their duet on the back of a full-speed motorbike in the second act was full of energy and one of the highlights of the show. The dramatic finale was a fitting end to a powerful and moving production. The show ends tomorrow night (Feb 27) — AM.