Casting announced for revival of WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND at The Watermill

The full cast and creative team have been announced for the first major UK revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman’s 1996 rock musical Whistle Down The Wind, which will run at The Watermill from 22 July-10 September.

Directed by Tom Jackson Greaves, Whistle Down The Wind will feature a company of actor musicians alongside a cast of talented local young people.

America, 1959. Change is in the air. The post war boom is thriving, the civil rights movement is growing and the golden age of television has begun. But, on a farm in rural Louisiana three children are hoping for a miracle.

When Swallow, a teenager struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother, discovers a man hiding out in the family barn she becomes convinced he is Jesus. In a town where the community will do anything to defend their way of life, the children unite to protect their saviour. As fantasy and reality collide, Swallow begins to discover who she is and what it means to grow up.

The cast includes Chrissie Bhima (LIFT, Southwark Playhouse) as Candy, Lewis Cornay (The Book of Mormon, West End) as Amos, Lloyd Gorman (Sunny Afternoon, West End) as Boone, Charlotte Grayson (Songs for a New World, London Palladium) as Ensemble, Jerome Lincoln (For You, I’d Wait, Turbine Theatre & Union Theatre) as Ed, Elliot Mackenzie (Million Dollar Quartet, UK tour) as Snake Preacher/Minister/Show MD, Emma Jane Morton (Amélie, UK tour & The Other Palace) as Ensemble, Alfie Richards (Parade, The Other Palace) as Earl, Robert Tripolino (Jesus Christ Superstar, Barbican) as The Man, Toby Webster (Oppenheimer, RSC West End) as Sheriff, Lydia White (Little Women, Park Theatre) as Swallow, Stephanie Elstob (Edward Scissorhands, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures) as Mother. 

Whistle Down the Wind is directed and choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves, with design by Simon Kenny, musical supervision and arrangements by Stuart Morley, musical direction by George Francis, lighting by Andrew Exeter, and sound by Yvonne Gilbert.

Tom 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.”

For more information and to book tickets, please click here.