Cast and creatives for Watermill’s Whistle Down The Wind

[clockwise] Robert Tripolino, Lydia White, Lewis Cornay and Chrissie Bhima have been cast in Whistle Down The Wind at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury

Directed and choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves, the production which features a company of actor-musicians alongside a cast of young people drawn from the local area, will run from 22 July until 10 September 2022.

Robert Tripolino (Jesus Christ Superstar, Barbican, Rent, Sydney Opera House) will play the central character of The Man with Lydia White (Little Women, The Park Theatre, The Last Five Years, Garrick Theatre) as Swallow, alongside Chrissie Bhima (LIFT, Southwark Playhouse) as Candy, Lewis Cornay (John and Jen, Southwark Playhouse, The Book of Mormon, Prince Edward Theatre) as Amos, Lloyd Gorman (Once, UK tour, Sunny Afternoon, Harold Pinter Theatre) as Boone, Jerome Lincoln (For You, I’d Wait, Turbine Theatre/Union Theatre) as Ed, Elliot Mackenzie (Million Dollar Quartet, UK tour, Aladdin, Queens Theatre Hornchurch) as Snake Preacher/Minister/Show MD, Alfie Richards (Parade, The Other Palace) as Earl, Toby Webster (Shakespeare in Love, Theatre Royal Bath, Oppenheimer, RSC West End) as Sheriff and Stephanie Elstob (Edward Scissorhands, Matthew Bourne New Adventures, Amadeus, Chichester Festival Theatre) as Mother. Charlotte Grayson (Songs for a New World, London Palladium) and Emma Jane Morton (Just So, Watermill Theatre, Amélie UK tour/The Other Palace) complete the cast as ensemble.

The creative team for the production also includes designer Simon Kenny, musical supervisor and arranger Stuart Morley, musical director George Francis, lighting designer Andrew Exeter and sound designer Yvonne Gilbert, with Nandi Bhebhe and Annie Southall as assistant directors, Rose Burston as deputy stage manager, Caitlin Ravenscroft and Natalie Toney as assistant stage manager, Chloe Robson as placement assistant stage manager and audio description by Jenny Stewart-Cosgrove.

Commenting on the production, Jackson Greaves said: “The opportunity to bring this incredible story back to the stage after its long absence feels extremely special. We have been given the chance to introduce it to audiences anew whilst also creating a brave and fresh interpretation for those who may have seen it before. It’s a real gift. Stories of dreams, grief, family and community have universal power and I hope our actor-musician-led revival will engage and surprise our audiences at the most beautiful theatre in the country – The Watermill.”

First seen at the National Theatre in Washington in 1996 ahead of its West End premiere at the Aldwych in 1998, the musical is based on the 1959 novel by Mary Hayley Bell (the wife of British acting legend John Mills) and the Bryan Forbes directed/Richard Attenborough-produced 1961 film which featured a BAFTA-nominated performance from Bell’s daughter Hayley Mills (screenplay by Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse).

The stage musical re-working of the story of the children who believe an enigmatic stranger hiding in a barn in their village is Jesus, has music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Steinman and a book co-written by Lloyd Webber with Patricia Knop and Gale Edwards.

Angela Thomas