Composer - Andrew Lloyd-Webber
Lyrics - Jim Steinman
Opened - 1998
Main Characters - Swallow, The Man, Amos, Candy, Boone

Plot - The musical is set in a small Louisiana town, a couple of days before christmas 1959. The community takes it's worship very seriously, and at a church service the minister tells the people they will be damned if they don't recognise Jesus in his 2nd coming. Swallow, a teenage girl on the verge of womanhood, prays to Jesus that she can have her mother back. Her father, Boone, tries to comfort her, and her little brother and sister, by singing the song that their mother used to sing to them.
The children discover a man hiding in their barn. When they ask him who he is, he says "Jesus Christ" because he is in a lot of pain, but the children take it to mean that he is the real Jesus in his 2nd coming. Meanwhile, there are reports of an escaped killer on the loose, and the adults worry for the safety of the town's children. The news of Jesus is spread amongst the children, who vow to keep it a secret from the adults. Two other teenagers, Amos and Candy, long to escape from the town so they can live life to the full, but Amos secretly desire's Swallow as well. The children grow very fond of The Man, and they bring him gifts, as the townspeople grow increasingly anxious about the killer.

In the 2nd act The Man uses Swallow's devotion to him to get her to fetch a package for him, which she doesn't know contains a gun. Amos arrives, and admits his feelings to Swallow, which stirs jealousy in The Man. Amos breaks his promise to leave town with Candy, and takes Swallow to fetch the package instead. There is a revival meeting in town, where people test their faith using snakes. One of these people tells Candy that the killer is hiding in Swallow's barn.
As the police close in, Swallow defies Boone and goes to see The Man one last time. He tries to tell her that he is not who she thinks he is, and when this shatters all her dreams, he realises just how much he cares for her, and is filled with regret for not having lived his life differently. When the police arrive, the barn is set alight, and The Man disappears into the flames, but they find no trace of him at all. Outside the barn, Swallow sings her mothers song once more; and somehow, there is light in the darkness.

Songs (with marks out of 10) -

1.The vaults of heaven (10)
2.Overture (10)
3.I never get what I pray for (8)
4.Home by now (9)
5.It just doesn't get any better than this (9)
6.Whistle down the wind (10)
7.Cold (8)
8.Unsettled scores (10)
9.If Only (10)
10.Tire tracks and broken hearts (10)
11.Safe haven (8)
12.Long overdue for a miracle (9)
13.When children rule the world (9)
14.Annie Christmas (9)
15.No matter what (9)
16.Try not to be afraid (10)
17.A kiss is a terrible thing to waste (10)
18.Off ramp exit to paradise (9)
19.Wrestle with the devil (9)
20.Nature of the beast (10)

Favourite song - Whistle down the wind

Favourite character - The Man

Favourite quotes -

"Whistle down the wind, let your voices carry. Drown out all the rain, light a patch of darkness, treacherous and scary. Howl at the stars, whisper when your sleeping. I'll be there to hold you, I'll be there to stop the chills and all the weeping."
- Boone, remembering the song his wife used to sing.

"There's a prayer for the living and the dieing. There's a prayer to soothe the savage sea. There's a prayer it seems for almost everything. But you, you haven't got a prayer for me. And I, I haven't got a prayer."
- The Man, regretting the fate he has made for himself.

"If all we lost somehow came back. If all that died again would grow. If only it was so, these are the loneliest words I know."
- Swallow, on one of the cruelest aspects of life.

"There are hungry devils everywhere, it's on my heart they feast. Let me rise above the carcass of this all too mortal beast. If I had the chance I'd fly away, I'd see myself released. I'd fly above the carcass of this poor, pathetic beast."
- The Man, knowing that his end is near.

Comment - This is the only Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical to have hit the world while I've been a fan of his, and it was incredibly exciting following the reviews of it's first night, and all the other reaction to it. And it gave me the wonderful opportunity of seeing one of his shows with the original cast, AND without knowing any of the music. This is a wonderful musical, one of Andrew's best scores, both exciting and poignant in equal measures. And the stage show is glorious to behold. On the strength of this, I really hope that ALW doesn't leave this as the last musical he writes.