The 5th Avenue Presents the U.S. Premiere Tour of
Whistle Down The Wind
Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Jim Steinman's
Powerful and Uplifting Musical
12 Local Kids to Be Cast: Seattle Children's Audition on October 13
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SEATTLE - The 5th Avenue presents the U.S. premiere touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, described by the London Daily Telegraph as "Andrew Lloyd Webber's best show since The Phantom of the Opera." Produced and directed by Bill Kenwright, the musical is based on the 1961 film starring Hayley Mills, and comes direct from a record-breaking West End engagement and U.K. sell-out tour. Seattle is the fifth stop of the U.S. national tour, which includes Houston, Hartford and Sacramento.
Twenty children are featured in this inspirational musical about the innocence of children and the transformative power of love. Eight young actors travel with the touring production, and 12 local kids will be cast for the three-week run at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.
"WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND is a fantastic story for a musical dramatist, and it took me back to my rock roots," says composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. “It’s a primal tale about salvation and forgiveness that everyone can relate to. I’m absolutely delighted that Bill Kenwright’s wonderful production is going to be seen in America.”
"My time working on Whistle has been, alongside Blood Brothers and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the most exciting and rewarding of my career," says director Bill Kenwright. "It is a show that has everything - great, great songs, exciting narrative, wonderful performances and one of the best and simplest storylines I have ever come across."
Featuring a host of award-winning songs including the Boyzone smash hit "No Matter What," WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND tells the story of a young Louisiana girl who finds a mysterious stranger hiding in her barn. When she asks his identity, the first words he utters are "Jesus Christ," and it's as if all her prayers have been answered. While the townspeople are determined to find the escaped felon, she and her friends vow to protect him from the outside world.
This new U.S. premiere production partners renowned rock lyricist Jim Steinman (Meatloaf's classic album Bat Out of Hell, Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart") and award-winning composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) to create a melodic and haunting score that was inspired by the indigenous sounds of the American South - blues, gospel, country and rock 'n' roll. With a book by Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards and Andrew Lloyd Webber, WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND combines award-winning songs and epic storytelling for an extraordinary tale about the transformative power of love.
Heading the cast is Eric Kunze (Jesus Christ Superstar, Miss Saigon) as The Man and Andrea Ross as Swallow, and featured are Dann Fink, Adam Shonkwiler, Austin J. Zambito-Valente, Nadine Jacobson, Carole Denise Jones, Greg Stone and Kurt Zischke. The ensemble includes Ryan Appleby, Renee Claire Bergeron, Al Bundonis, Raisa Ellingson, Alexis Hightower, Stephen Horst, James Jackson Jr., Justine Magnusson, Thomas Rainey and Mickey Toogood. Local children cast in the show will be announced at a later date.
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND Seattle children's auditions will take place on Saturday, October 13 from 3-4 p.m. at Crossroads Bellevue Shopping Center as part of the KIXI Grandkid's Carnival. Boys and girls age 6 - 14 of all ethnicities are invited to audition; they should bring a photo and resume. Everyone must pre-register to audition at www.KIXI.com; space is limited.
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND features costume and set design by Paul Farnsworth, choreography by Henry Metcalfe, musical direction by David Steadman, lighting design by Nick Richings and sound design by Ben Harrison.
Theater enthusiasts can get a behind-the-scenes look at this show before it opens during a combined WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND/JERSEY BOYS SPOTLIGHT NIGHT on Monday, November 5 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at The 5th Avenue Theatre. This free event, sponsored by US Bank, will celebrate the life and glorious music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, including performances from The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Evita. Original Broadway Phantom of the Opera cast member Patti Cohenour will make a special appearance. Then, a look at the story behind JERSEY BOYS - the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical and Broadway's hottest ticket. Visit www.5thavenue.org/spotlight .
ERIC KUNZE (The Man) most recently starred as the title character in the National tour of Jesus Christ Superstar (with Carl Anderson). His Broadway credits include Marius in Les Misérables (opposite Lea Salonga), Chris in Miss Saigon and Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees (with Jerry Lewis). Off-Broadway: Leopard's Leap. International tours: The Fantasticks, The Pirates of Penzance. Regional: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (San Diego Critics Circle Award), Evita (Los Angeles Ovation nomination), West Side Story, Into the Woods, South Pacific and the title roles in Pippin (Robbie Award Best Actor) and The Who's Tommy (Los Angeles).
Andrea Ross (Swallow) received the 2005 Elliot Norton Outstanding Actress Award (Boston) for Ramona Quimby (Ramona) and The Sound of Music (Leisl) both at Wheelock Family Theater, and A Little Night Music (Frederika), Lyric Stage Company. Other regional credits: Tuck Everlasting (Winnie Foster),Wheelock Family Theater; Annie (Annie), Trinity Repertory; Lizzie Borden (Young Lizzie), Stoneham Theater; premiere of High School Musical (Gabriella Montez), Stagedoor Manor. Andrea's new debut album, Moon River, is produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER (Composer) is the composer of The Likes of Us, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me on a Sunday (later combined as Song & Dance), Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game and The Woman in White. He composed the film scores of Gumshoe and The Odessa File and a setting of the Latin Requiem Mass, Requiem. In 2004 he produced a film version of The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher. He pioneered casting for musical theater via TV with the hit BBC TV series "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" through which he discovered Connie Fisher to star as Maria in The Sound of Music. His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys, including Best Contemporary Composition for Requiem, six Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, an International Emmy, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre and the Kennedy Center Honor.
JIM STEINMAN (Lyricist) is a songwriter/producer whose records have sold more than 100 million copies. His first record, the legendary Bat Out of Hell with Meat Loaf, became the biggest debut ever and the third best-selling disc of all time. The sequel Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell topped the charts in 38 countries. His number one songs include: "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," "Dead Ringer," "Making Love out of Nothing At All," "Two out of Three Ain't Bad," "Holding Out for a Hero," "I'd Do Anything for Love but I Won't Do That," "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," named 1997's Song of the Year by BMI for having the most broadcasts worldwide, and Whistle Down the Wind's "No Matter What," by Boyzone, is the most successful single ever released from a musical in history. As a producer, he won a 1996 Grammy for Best Album of the Year, Celine Dion's Falling Into You. As a singer, he recorded one platinum album, Bad for Good. Film music includes Footloose, Streets of Fire, The Shadow and Mask of Zorro. Steinman is the president of Ravenous Entertainment, which includes Ravenous Records.
BILL KENWRIGHT (Producer/Director) heads the United Kingdom's largest independent theater and film production company. He has produced countless shows in London's West End, on UK tour and on Broadway. As a director, his credits include Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar and Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. He was nominated for a London Theatre Critics' award for West Side Story and a Tony Award for Blood Brothers in New York.
Tickets to WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND are priced from $20 - $77. Tickets are available over the phone by calling 206-625-1900 (toll free 888-5TH-4TIX), online at www.5thavenue.org or in person at the box office in downtown Seattle. There is no service charge when purchasing tickets in person at The 5th Avenue Theatre Box Office.
The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle's premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of more than 24,000 and an annual attendance of over 225,000. It ranks among the nation’s largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon and Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND SHOWTIMES
November 13 - December 2, 2007
- Tuesday Evening 7:30 pm
- Wednesday Evening 7:30 pm
- Thursday Evening 8:00 pm
- Friday Evening 8:00 pm
- Saturday Matinee 2:00 pm
- Saturday Evening 8:00 pm
- Sunday Matinee 1:30 pm
- Sunday Evening 7:00 pm*
* No Sunday evening performance December 2
Please contact Molly Fortin, Public Relations Manager, at (206) 625-1418 with questions or to schedule individual interviews. Download Photos
2007-2008 SEASON SPONSOR: Puget Sound Energy
SHOW SPONSOR: 4Culture