By Sharon L. Rodgers
Whistle Down The Wind showcases some incredible talent. While the plot lightly touches upon racial prejudice in the south during the 50’s and religion it unfortunately doesn’t delve too far. It does make the naive children look very gullible as they readily accept a prison escapee as Jesus returned. The voices and stage presence of the prisoner on the run, The Man, played by Eric Kunz and that of the oldest daughter, Swallow (Andrea Ross), where exceptional. Formidable performances were also delivered by Swallow’s sibling, Brat (Nadine Jacobson) and Candy (Carole Denise Jones). The local talent that made up the children’s chorus was strong and quite endearing. Basically, while expecting a similar score to Phantom of the Opera or the costuming of Cats, neither come to fruition. The sets were simple and architecturally pleasing. The lighting and back drops wonderful, but costumes were shy of what was expected. The lyrics seemed repetitive and the choreography simple. It was the vocal and dramatic talent that made this an enjoyable show.
Whistle Down the Wind plays through December 2, 2007 at the 5th Avenu Theatre.
