Whistle Down The Wind, The Union Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until December 21, 2019


Whistle Down The Wind is a heartwarming show that has stood the test of time, and this is a wonderful production of it. The story which contrasts the faith and optimism of childhood with the darker and often harsher worldview of adults is an apt narrative for this time of year, and the cast and creative team have done a fine job of bringing it to life. Richard Taylor's music and lyrics were quite haunting. They captured both the stark, almost bleak, atmosphere of this Welsh village and its sudden illumination by the simple belief of children who discover a stranger in their barn. Sadie Levett as Cathy, Tara Lucas as Nan, and George Hankers as Charles all do a quite amazing job of making us see them as the children who can believe in miracles. It is so easy for adults playing youngsters to fall into parody or cliché but that never happens here. Even when the director takes the bold step of having the three of them interact with real children they manage to create entirely credible presences. Fiona Tong is excellent as harried Auntie Dolly who must look after the motherless threesome and Stuart Simons gets it just right at the Dad who finally sees the wonder of his children's innocence. Eoin McKenna's Vicar was a stand out and his rant was quite awesome. Louise Kempson was a solid Miss Lodge, though her bottle swinging was a rather unfortunate slapstick note in an otherwise fine characterisation. There are lots of pantos and fun around the Christmas period, but this classic story and its first-rate production stand out as a lovely reminder of the true spirit of the season.

 Reviewed by J.C.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until December 21, 2019
Tue - Sat: 7:30 pm, Sat & Sun: 2:30 pm
The Union Theatre
Nearest tube: Southwark
http://www.uniontheatre.biz/whistle-down-the-wind.html
Map & Location: 229 Union St, London SE1 0LR, UK

Most Popular

Player Kings ★★★★★ Noël Coward Theatre | Apr 1 - Jun 22, 2024

Image
Shakespeare's Henry IV Part I and Part II deal with young Prince Hal and the rather libertine lifestyle in which he indulges before he assumes the throne as Henry V. To the despair of his father, Hal has fallen in with a gang of wastrels centred around the notorious Sir John Falstaff. The narrative arc of Shakespeare's story then becomes about Hal's choices as he is torn between two worlds: the enticements of hedonism and self-indulgence, and his father's call to duty and honour. However, in Robert Icke's adaptation of the two plays, the central character actually becomes Falstaff, and Hal's dilemma and decisions seem more like simply a backdrop for the comic hijinks of one of Shakespeare's most enduring and endearing creations. As Falstaff, Sir Ian McKellen puts in an unforgettable performance. He lights up the stage whenever he appears as the drunken prevaricator whose cunning and cowardice are somehow completely beguiling. Indeed, on the occasions when
Full Details »

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

The Last Caravaggio ★★★★ The National Gallery | Apr 18 - Jul 21, 2024 (Free Entry)

Image
Caravaggio's innovative art and immoderate life remains a source of enduring fascination. Indeed, it is no accident that they are presented as the inspiration for the protagonist of the new Netflix show, Ripley . Caravaggio's realistic portrayal of saints and sinners and his frequent undertones of sensuality and violence tease his audience just as his extraordinarily tempestuous life intrigues them. This latest bijou exhibition focuses on the master's last known work, The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (1610) which was only definitively attributed to him in 1980. That painting which is on loan to The National Gallery is displayed in the context of the collection's own Caravaggio, Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist (1609-1610). Both pieces focus on particularly grisly acts and the emotional responses to them of the principals and onlookers. In the former it is notable that Caravaggio has painted himself into the story. It becomes tantalising to try to read his exp
Full Details »

The Comeuppance ★★★★★ Almeida Theatre | Apr 6 - May 18, 2024

Image
Faced with the twin threats of plague and war, the Danse Macabre was a common artistic subject in the late Middle Ages. In The Comeuppance Branden Jacobs-Jenkins revisits this concept in our own time of Covid and conflict. As they approach their twenty-year high school reunion, five friends are faced with the passage of time and its inevitable consequence. Death becomes a character haunting them at the feast of life and neither the doctor nor the artist can stay the inevitable result of time's pressing on. There's a lot to unpack in Jacobs-Jenkins' work, but first and foremost it resonates as a story of friends who are reliving their misadventures and memories. The existential question is nicely wrapped in humour and humanity, and we actually come to care about the members of MERGE, or the multi-ethnic reject group, as they were known in high school. In a wonderfully evocative set created by Arnulfo Maldonado, the action takes place on a porch, that space between home and
Full Details »

London Tide ★★★ National Theatre | Apr 10 - Jun 22, 2024

Image
London Tide is based on Dickens' Our Mutual Friend . The main theme of the latter is about transformations, to the point of an actual resurrection. (It is no accident that main character Lizzie Hexam is reading Ovid.) On the other hand, in this new musical reworking of the classic, things are transformed to suit contemporary tastes. Dickens' social views are updated to represent a contemporary feminism and his unfashionable sentimentality is undercut by that American sitcom staple, the sarcastic child. The strength of this production is its evocation of the atmosphere of London in the nineteenth century, and its presentation of the desperate lives of those marginalised members of society who struggle to survive in appalling poverty. Bunny Christie's set is sparse but effective, allowing the viewers' imagination to fill in the dark and moody reality of life beside the Thames, and PJ Harvey and Ian Ross's "London Song" forlornly invokes the brutal world we
Full Details »

Naked Boys Singing, The Garden Theatre at The Eagle - ★★★★ - Until October 25, 2020

Image
There is still a certain taboo around naked men on stage. Well, Naked Boys Singing firmly grasps the nettle and does exactly what it says on the tin. If the sight of naked guys singing and dancing is shocking for you, this musical revue should probably be avoided, but you'd be missing a lot of good clean fun. There is plenty of talent on display and the six guys perform splendidly; perhaps, one or two of the voices would be helped by microphones but the lack of costumes would make that difficult. So sing up boys! We're not watching 'great art' here, but several of the numbers stand out including "The Entertainer", "Robert Mitchum" and especially "Perky Little Porn Star." One hilarious song reminds a lonely man that the solution to his problem is in his own hands. There is also a beautifully sung chorale using the multifarious names for the male member! It would be invidious to single out individual cast members as all have plenty of opport
Full Details »

Calendar Girls ★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Apr 11 - Jun 1, 2024

Image
In 1998 some members of the Knapely branch of the Women's Institute decided to do some fundraising for the cancer wing of their local hospital. Their decision to create a calendar in which they posed nude ended up raising a great deal of money for their cause, plus a few eyebrows. Their daring and endearing plan resulted in an enormous amount of press attention and became a worldwide phenomenon. The first act of Tim Firth's play recounts the well-known initiation and realisation of the calendar project. Perhaps, because the story is so familiar this retelling of it, while charming, seems rather thin and the characters' behaviours rather formulaic. For us, things pick up in the second act which deals with the aftermath of the calendar's initial success. Individual characters start to emerge and the varying motivations for being involved are more explicitly exposed and developed. The tensions within the group move the narrative from the realm of amusing anecdote to real d
Full Details »

Your Lie In April – The Musical in Concert ★★★★★ Theatre Royal Drury Lane | April 8 & 9, 2024

Image
Based on the popular Manga of Naoshi Arakawa, Your Lie In April – The Musical in Concert tells the story of a young, prize-winning pianist who has lost his ability to hear the piano after his mother's death. The passing of his perfectionist parent has led Kōsei, played by Zheng Xi Yong, to abandon his vocation and to sink into despair. Although supported by his friends, Ryōta and Tsubaki, it is not until the enthusiastic and free-spirited violinist, Kaori, comes along that he begins to rediscover his aptitude for music. This is a modest little love story that is unabashedly sentimental, but it has a magic that will melt even the hardest heart. Frank Wildhorn has written a lovely score and songs like "Just Like A Movie" and "One Hundred Thousand Million Stars" are instantly relatable. The in-concert version of the show exposed a few wrinkles that still need to be ironed out, but the simplicity of this presentation nicely complemented the unpretentious nature of
Full Details »

Life with Oscar ★★★ Arcola Theatre | April 2 - 20, 2024

Image
Life with Oscar is less a play than it is a personal and professional exorcism. The show is an exposé of writer/actor Nick Cohen's origins, ambitions and encounter with the hollowness that is Hollywood. The piece chronicles three generations of Cohen's family and his experience trying to get a film made. As the child of immigrants who have left their roots to pursue success in a new world, the little golden statuette of Oscar comes to represent for Cohen the ultimate symbol of achievement, not simply in a film career but in life itself. In his narrative, Cohen plays an amazing 29 characters, and he manages to bring them all to life. From the bombastic father to the self-effacing mother, and from the sleazy producer to his drug-addled daughter, all the personalities emerge as recognisable individuals. However, while the performance is dazzling, none of the characters are really developed. They remain simply nicely sketched types. The story itself is familiar territory: a tormen
Full Details »

Red Pitch ★★★★ @sohoplace | Mar 15 - May 4, 2024

Image
Three friends are at a turning point in their lives. For sixteen-year-olds Joey, Omz and Bilal everything is changing. Secondary school is ending, the neighbourhood is being gentrified and QPR trials will soon determine if their professional football aspirations are going to be realised. Tyrell Williams' play takes us into the boys' safe space. The red pitch represents security, camaraderie and control. This is the place the three can escape from their responsibilities in the real world and can dream. However, their banter, competition and bravado resonate an innocence that will soon be tested in the real game of life that lies ahead. After two sold-out runs at the Bush Theatre, all three actors are totally comfortable in their well-drawn characters, and they bring a brilliant authenticity to their portrayals. Emeka Sesay does a nicely understated job as Joey, the sensible one, who sees the need for a plan B in case the professional footballer route doesn't work out (no coi
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings