SMASH

           

The music and drama group of Solihull Methodist Church

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Past SMASH Productions

Whistle Down The Wind (2007)

Adapted by Russell Labey and Richard Taylor
with music and lyrics by Richard Taylor
28-31 March 2007
Five performances

Whistle Down The Wind is a story set in the late 1950's that highlights the uncluttered thinking of children that is for the most part sadly lost in adulthood. It seems as if children and adults live in separate worlds with different perceptions and languages, but as in life sometimes an event - in this case a stranger in the barn - can bridge the gap.   We first performed Whistle in 1997, and received so many requests to repeat it that we did!

Six new SMASHERS joined us for this production.

REVIEW FROM THE SOLIHULL TIMES (4 March 2007)
SMASH, the music and drama society of Solihull Methodist Church have revisited a previous production this week at the Dovehouse Theatre.  Based on both the book by Mary Hayley Bell and the 1961 film, the musical version of 'Whistle Down the Wind' was presented by SMASH in 1997.    

Laura Ralph (Cathy), Kim Deane (Nan) and Matthew Austin (Charlie) were outstanding as the trio of children who find an escaped convict in their father's barn.   Mistaking him for Jesus, the secret soon gets out and the rest of the children in the village are enlisted to keep 'Jesus' safe.  The group of children were consistently excellent, singing superbly and staying in character throughout. 
The adult characters gave full weight to the dialogue and songs illustrating their brusque impatience and the fear surrounding the situation.   The song at the Sunday school nativity play was one of many highlights.   This was a definite SMASH hit and there will be many more to come.      F.W. Crane


Photographs (please click on a photograph for a larger image)
WDTWCast1l.jpg (64493 bytes) WDTWCast2l.jpg (60416 bytes) WDTWFindingthekittensl.jpg (40144 bytes)
WDTWBreakfastl.jpg (45045 bytes) WDTWTheManl.jpg (42818 bytes) WDTWOnSundayMorningl.jpg (41715 bytes)
WDTWChildrenOutsideBarnl.jpg (42333 bytes) WDTWMayorOfBurnleyl.jpg (28634 bytes) WDTWNativityRehearsall.jpg (40782 bytes)
WDTWNativityl.jpg (42251 bytes) WDTWVillageSquarel.jpg (36151 bytes) WDTWnativity3l.jpg (40759 bytes)
WDTWFamilyl.jpg (73240 bytes)

WDTWCathyl.jpg (42079 bytes)

WDTWManCathyNanCharlesl.jpg (53089 bytes)
WDTWvillagechildrenl.jpg (49637 bytes)
WDTWoutsideBarnl.jpg (45067 bytes) WDTWInsideBarnl.jpg (48616 bytes) WDTWvillagel.jpg (53041 bytes)

Text and photographs © SMASH 2007