Whistle Down the Wind

Whistle Down The Wind is based on the novel by Mary Hayley Bell and the film produced by Richard Attenborough and directed by Bryan Forbes. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, together with Patricia Knop and Gale Edwards (co-book writers with Andrew Lloyd Webber) have taken the original story and reset it in Louisiana in 1959.

The musical premiered in 1996 at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., and was revived in the West End in 1998. The show toured the UK a number of times between 2001 and 2004 before moving to the Palace Theatre, London in March 2006. A US tour began in late 2007, and a second UK tour opened in 2010.

Set in America’s Deep South in the late fifties, this evocative new musical fuses epic storytelling with compelling characters to create an unforgettable theatrical experience.

The musical revolves around the time and place where the word teenager was invented. Swallow, struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother, discovers a mysterious stranger whom she believes is Jesus. In a town where a miracle is long overdue, the children fight to protect him from an adult world determined to find an escaped convict hiding in their midst. As fantasy and reality collide, Swallow is torn between the two and begins to discover who she is and where she is going… Andrew Lloyd Webber’s emotive score combines hauntingly beautiful love songs and explosive rock music with lyrics by acclaimed rock’n‘roll songwriter Jim Steinman. The score contrasts the relentless influence of the modern world with the traditional values of the old days – something which the community at the heart of Whistle Down The Wind yearns to return to.

Music By Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics By Jim Steinman
Book By Patricia Knop, Andrew Lloyd Webber & Gale Edwards
Opened 12 December 1996 at The National Theatre in Washington D.C.

Music Releases

Unmasked: The Platinum Collection

Deluxe Edition
(2019)

Whistle Down The Wind

Original Stage Cast
(1999)

TV & Movies

Masterpiece

2002

Royal Albert Hall Celebration

1998

Licensing Whistle Down The Wind

Interested in staging your very own production of Whistle Down The Wind with your school or group? We can’t wait to hear about it! Please remember, though, that applications to licence the show are subject to review and availability, and will differ based on various elements.

Find out more and apply below, or via your local licensing agent: