Whistle Down The Wind- Page 2

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 9:40am

Um, people still do that.

And I saw it in London in its original incarnation.
Having lived in the south, I wasn't insulted (The south is really like that in places, including the integrated honky tonk bands).

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 9:42am

I live in the south right now, and I don't see anything that is offensive in it. A lot of people talk about the the "horrible southern accents," but I hear people talk like that all the time.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 9:50am

Um...yeah. I also know that some people still handle snakes in religious ceremonies. Did you know that?

In this show my feeling was that we were being presented a British view of "those wacky Southerners and the silly things they do." I was hardly the only one who felt that way, but it's fine if you don't agree.

I still think this show needs a MAJOR overhaul before it ever gets within 300 miles of Broadway.

[Anon2]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 10:18am

Just an Update - I worked on the revival show in London 2006 at the palace theatre and it is the revival prod that is coming over. -i packed up all props etc. into their cases to be shipped to america. Bill Kenwright is producing and Tim Rogers is being sent over as The Man. The Musical Director Mr David Steadman will join the show for 3 Weeks. And in our revival at the palace the snakes were replaced with plastic ones!

[pianoman215]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 11:43am

Didn't Lloyd Webber steal from Song & Dance for a song in this fiasco? I know that using trunk songs is a common practice, but not using the melody of a song that was actually used and recorded.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 11:47am

'Tire tracks and broken hearts' is a steal of the awful 'English Girls' from the Broadway Song & Dance. The latter has thankfully been cut from the new Tell me on a Sunday.

[CarolynW]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:06pm

Just a few things to clear up...there was no London revival of WHISTLE last year. That was the Kenwright (sp?) UK touring production they put into the Palace theatre while it was vacant. It was a limited run of the UK tour in London not a true revival.

The UK Tour is a downsized version, from what I am told, of the original London production. The London production was reworked after the show did not do well in the US out-of-town produciton.

I understand there are quite a few changes since the US production to the storyline. I do not know that much about either production. There are comments on the RUG message board about it.

At this time there is "NO" Broadway production of WHISTLE planned. They are still in negotiations for a US WHISTLE tour, but that has not been finalized. Nothing is confirmed that I have been notified about, since I did ask about it and they said it was not confirmed.

Somewhere there is another thread about this on BWW. :)


Yours,

Carolyn

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:12pm

I SAW BOTH THE ORIGINAL AND THE 'REVIVAL'.

The original was brilliant, the set was wonderful, the cast were great, it was just such a lively piece of theatre, at the Aldwych.

The tail end of the tour, which was thrown into the Palace for 16 weeks had a poor set, because it had to be adaptable I suppose. The cast were okay. They replaced the song 'Annie Christmas' with a new one by Don Black called 'The Tribe'. There was no fire on stage, just lighting effects. it was not half as good as the original, but it was alright.

Hope it doesn't go to Broadway in that form.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:34pm

"A lot of people talk about the the 'horrible southern accents,' but I hear people talk like that all the time."

I grew up in the South, lived there for 30 years, and the only people I ever heard with accents like those in the Whistle Down the Wind cast recording were used by actors in movies with bad Southern accents.

I saw the original London production and enjoyed it, but it needed some revision. "If Only" is a song that grinds the entire show to a screeching halt and allows the audience to nap until something actually happens. Luckily, Lloyd Webber provides us not one, but TWO chances at catches some Zs with that drowsy little ditty.

"Annie Christmas" was a cute song with seemingly no point. It was rather baffling. I guess it was supposed to provide some poignant charm to the character that would lead to the children's worship and compassion, but it sort of backfired as everyone seemed completely confused and a bit frightened until the pretty song started. Then they quickly forgot about the weird song because the pretty song was playing, which is Lloyd Webber's most successful magic trick. Oooohhh....pretty song...didn't Boyzone sing that? Pretty....

And "Unsettled Scores" is Lloyd Webber's most nonsensical power ballad to date. It sounds like three different songs haphazardly patched together filled in with lyrics that are nothing more than a laundry list. And then it repeats itself with more laundry list items. And it certainly doesn't help when the reprise of this song ends with "...and all my prayers are loaded in this GUN!" (sung very slowly and as loudly as possible the way a Lloyd Webber power ballad should be sung), which made many members of the audience actually laugh out loud.

That being said, "A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste" is probably the most exciting scene I've ever witnessed in a Lloyd Webber show. The staging of that scene was quite amazing.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:47pm

I saw that production as well, and I actually noticed there are a lot of similarities between English accent and Southern Ones, but these didn't do it very well.

Although there are people who talk so as you can't understand them in the south. But for a signifier, these accents worked fine. No one squawks when Robin Williams plays a mexican penguin (and btw, NO mexicans sound like that).

But anyway, I concur with Mister Matt, I was baffled by Annie Christmas and that other show just stopped the cold, and not in a good way.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 2:14pm

I think the main problem with the piece is that the Man is not threatening enough. He flops around in the barn and gets a bunch of kids to believe he's Jesus. The entire first act is a snooze fest. There is no danger. Act 1 should not end with "No Matter What". It doesn't give the audience a reason to come back for Act 2.

[Sant]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 2:45pm

Well, as the Act 1 ends with "No Matter What" put together with the mob singing "Safe Haven", I think it does give audience a reason to come back for Act 2.

I never saw the revival/touring production but did see the original production twice and I liked it - except for the snakes! The set was brilliant (the full stage platform rising from the floor to create a roof and in the final scene of Act 1 having The Man & children on the stage floor singing "No Matter What" and the adult mob on a platform above them singing "Safe Haven"...) and the score wasn't bad either. A lot of lovely songs, like the great opening song "Vaults Of Heaven", "Cold", "No Matter What", "When Children Rule The World", "Unsettled Scores"...

Surprising that they would rather produce the touring production on Broadway instead of re-creating the original. Or creating a completely new version of it.

[JRybka]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 3:00pm

Whistle Down the Wind is a wonderful classic movie that he made into a musical. The odd thing is that in the movie there are some MAJOR images that are very much like the last days of Jesus Christ. The 12 kids who are his "apostles" and the girl (Swallow) as the Mary Magdline part. The adults are the angry mob who want him dead --- The movie was/is a masterpeice IMHO.

I do adore the score of the show. I think some of ALW'S music in there is great. Tire Tracks, No Matter What, Children Rule.. Vaults of Heaven.....

[Faith2]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 1:19pm

Wasn't this show based on a movie that was set in the English countryside? The first thing I would do is change the setting back to the UK.

Yes, "Whistle Down The Wind" was a movie that came out in 1961, I believe. I have the video and DVD versions.

However, FIRST, it was a book written by Mary Haley Bell, Haley Mills' mother. The original movie starred Haley Mills, Bernard Lee, and Alan Bates. The film is delightful and yes, it does take place in the English countryside.

There are three children in the family Kathy (Haley Mills), Nan (Diane Holgate), and six year old Charles (Alan Barnes). The children in the film are all considerably younger than in the musical. The father is a very busy farmer and is trying to raise the children with the help of his sister.

The children are very active in their local church, and indeed, had just had a Sunday school lesson where Jesus was discussed, when they went home to find a stranger "The Man" sleeping in their barn. It was the children who mistook this 'criminal on the run' for Jesus.

The film is very touching and very, very comical.

I DID see the original production of "WDTW" in London, and I really did wonder why Andrew did not leave the setting and the children the same as the film.

Peace and Love,
Faith2 a.k.a. Joyce

[Christoph]

Posted: 2/27/07 at 2:56pm

I saw it in DC and it needed work. Not great at all, but no where near the worst thing I have seen. The cast was strong and I remember some lovely songs, but the book was unwieldy. It went all over the map and was populated by extraneous characters that were not needed, with subplots that went no where. Also, I found that the play abruptly halted rather than reached a logical conclusion. You were kind of left sitting there wondering if it was really over or not when suddenly the cast came out for bows. It makes a better CD-recording than an actual play.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 4:33am

It was the children who mistook this 'criminal on the run' for Jesus.

That was the main problem I had with the show - I'm being asked to sympathise with stupid people. Why do they think he's Jesus? In the London show he's asked his name and when, delirious, he replies "Jesus Christ", they just believe him!! Maybe it's because I wasn't brought up in a religious household, but I found the whole basis of the story ludicrous...

Posted: 2/28/07 at 9:00am

I've always wanted to see photos of the Hal Prince US production--do any exist? Being a Prince fan the way he seemed so wrong for this show always fascinated me (oddly)

After high school in 1999 I spent half a year in London and ended up getting half price tickets for Whistle and honestly only knew that it had been a flop in New York (didn't even know it had already run quite a while in London by the time I was there). I'm a minor ALW fan but have to admit I went partly because I thought I'd never have the chance to see it again and maybe I'd have my first experience seeing one of those famous messes of a musical people always talk about...

I actually really enjoyed it. Lowered expectations probably helped and I found some of the broad ways the characters were written a bit much but I have really fond memories of it all in all. (and while I don't usually praise the sets for a show it was neat to be in a fairly smaller West End Theatre os close to such an involved set) I went with 3 friends and my mom who was visiting--1 of whom was another Sondheim snob like me the others casual theatre fans and everyone was pleasantly surprised

The revival/touring production that might come to Broadway--was it much changed? all I've heard waws it was duller--was this cuz of new designs or just tired performances? Did Gayle whatsername do the tour as well as director?

All in all it was a minor success in London, no?

I have to admit i'm a Steinman fan even if I can't always excuse his adolescent excess--it's a guilty pleasure of mine--but as a Steinman fan I find it hard to believe he didn't help write some of the music of songs like Tire Tracks and Broken HEarts and Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste which sound more like him than ALW

As for ALW changing the setting to the South I believe at the time he said in interviews he had always wanted to play around with Southern musical forms like spirituals, early rock and roll and the blues, etc--not that that's ALL too apparant in the actual score but it sounds as good an excuse as any I guess (and I'm sure the stereotype of the SOuth, especially at that time, being really extremely evangelical helps too-also tieing into the race relations aspect--though I grant you none of these elements werehandled too subtly in the show)

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 9:26am

The original production was technically a 'hit' in London and made its money back by the end of the run.

The 'revival' was a completely new production designed to tour the UK; re-directed, re-choreographed, re-orchestrated, new sets etc. It was not produced by RUG as the London show had been, but Bill Kenwright.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 2:24pm

"I've always wanted to see photos of the Hal Prince US production--do any exist?"

The Library of Performing Arts has a video performance of the pre-Broadway tour. I believe it was filmed while it set down in D.C.

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 7:42pm

Take it from a "Steinman Expert", the Washington D.C. production was a mess. That was meant to transfer to the Martin Beck Theatre, April 1997. Due to the massive amounts of revisions that Steinman and Lloyd Webber wanted, it was cancelled. Jim went off to do "Tanz Der Vampire" in Vienna, directed by Roman Polanski, then the new Whistle was revised and reworked for the West End production at the Aldwych in July 1998. It was a decent enough hit with a decent run (as opposed to all ALW runs post Phantom), spawning the hit Boyzone single "No Matter What" which is (possibly) the greatest selling single from a musical in history.

The Bill Kenwright Production, like Washington, is a mess, removing much of the power of the London production and watering it down as a more "family show". Pity...

A genuine new staging of the London show, with one last needed revision, would be a welcome "dark piece" on Broadway. However, after "The Woman In White" and "Dance Of The Vampires", I doubt it at this stage. Webber will need to succeed big with "The Master & Margarita" or the Phantom sequel, while Steinman will need to succeed big with "Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical" in the West End.

If anyone has absolutely ANY questions about the work of Jim Steinman, you know where to find me.

Updated On: 2/28/07 at 07:42 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 7:47pm

Speaking of ALW, I would like to see The Beautiful Game on Broadway but doubt it will ever make it due to the subject matter

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 7:50pm

I tried to enjoy "The Beautiful Game". It is a great controversial theme for a musical but the music and lyrics disappointed me greatly. There was only one song I liked, which (strangely) happened to be the one recycled from Phantom 2 (the first time it was announced) and I can't stand Ben Elton as a lyricist. IMO

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 7:55pm

To each hit own

We do agree on Steinman & DOTV

Eons ago, I saw a musical off broadway (Joe Papp) called "More Than You Deserve" about Vietnam. Did he so the music on that one ?

I remember it was a hoot of a show. It had Terry Kiser & Fred Gwynne

Updated On: 2/28/07 at 07:55 PM

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 2/28/07 at 8:01pm

Oh wow!

Yes, I have a CD of "More Than You Deserve"!

Very interesting show. It was also the meeting ground of Meat Loaf and Steinman (Meat played Rabbit and sang the title song which was later on "Dead Ringer").

I like the score. It's different for Jim, like a rock 'n roll Rodgers & Hammerstein II. There are also themes and motifs he's recycled into other scores such as DOTV, "The Confidence Man" etc.

The show was (apparently) a big flop. I got a chance to speak with the author Michael Weller just before he did "Dr Zhivago" and he told me an amazing story about its history.

Posted: 2/28/07 at 10:41pm

I've heard More than You Deserve and love a lot about it (as rockfenris knows there was some aftelrife for certain songs). Rockf--has anything been said about Steinman helping with the Whistle *music* as I asked?

Pity Whistle was so re-staged for the revival, liek I said I really enjoyed Gayle's staging even if it wasn't perfect (I liekd it better than her restaging of JCSuperstar for the tour at any rate though I never saw her original apparantly superior London revival) and the show as one of the better things I saw in London all that year actually with some great performances (I believe I saw the replacement actors in both leads--I know the guy who played The Man is doign Sweney in Dublin soon)

I'm with Rockf as well about Beautiful Game--great concept but the score let me down (never saw it staged)

E