IT MAY seem like a gamble to relocate an already successful storyline from windswept Lancashire to the fields of America, but setting Whistle Down the Wind in the middle of the Bible Belt deepens the religious context at the heart of the tale.

In broad strokes, it’s a narrative of good versus evil but without the black and white simplicity of a parable.

Characters that seem bad show an unexpected hint of compassion, while those who appear good often have their own ends at heart.

Somewhere in the middle is The Man, played by Jonathan Ansell, formerly of pop-opera quartet G4, who is locked in an internal battle between both extremes.

He is discovered in a barn by three siblings (Carly Bawden, Josh Simpson, Charlotte Oldroyd) who, het up by the fire and brimstone sermons of the local preacher, mistake him for the Messiah. He plays along, at first to ensure his personal safety, but later to protect the innocence of the children who try to befriend him.

The script is rife with religious imagery, played out on a set framed by the wooden slats of the barn. The Man invites the elder sister, Swallow, to become his first apostle yet when the time comes, unlike Peter, she does not renounce him.

Bawden is naive and wise in equal parts as the girl named for a swallow but who has the voice of a nightingale. On the cusp of adulthood, she finds it easier to accept her platonic love for the man she believes is Jesus Christ than the intimidating feelings she has for her childhood friend Amos.

X Factor runner-up Ansell is surprisingly fierce as the runaway convict, shaking off his boy band looks for something more feral.

His classical training sets his singing voice well above many of his fellow cast members, building to dramatic crescendos in solo number So Many Cries. Less convincing was the tenor’s speaking voice, which constantly wavered with emotion as if he was about to burst into hysterics.

But as last night was only the first performance of a UK tour there is plenty of time for him to settle into that part of role.

It’s the young actors who bring the musical to life with big ensemble numbers For the Sake of all the Children and No Matter What, the ballad that won Boyzone a platinum record in 1998.

For the most part note perfect, their voices rang out in harmony against the prejudice of the adults.