A MYSTERIOUS tale from the deep south breezes up north next month, as West End musical Whistle Down the Wind storms into Blackpool.

Based on the 60s film starring Hayley Mills, Whistle Down The Wind has been described by those involved in the production as "an extraordinary and uplifting tale about the transforming power of love".

In America's deep south a 15-year-old girl finds a mysterious man hiding in a barn. When she asks who he is the first words he utters are "Jesus Christ".

"The girl and the town's other children vow to protect the stranger from the world that waits outside -- meanwhile the townspeople are determined to catch a fugitive," said a show spokesman.

"Whistle Down The Wind's powerful staging combines epic storytelling with intimate emotion, as the innocence of children collides with the cynicism of the adult world."

Penned by Jim Steinman and Andrew Lloyd Webber the musical features award-winning songs The Vaults of Heaven and Whistle Down The Wind, plus Boyzone's number one hit No Matter What.

The show was first staged in Washington DC in December 1996 and a revised version opened in London's West End at the Aldwych Theatre on July 1, 1998.

More than 400,000 people saw the production in its first year and the Whistle Down The Wind album went gold in the first week of its release in the UK.

The Blackpool Opera House production is being directed by Bill Kenwright, the co-director of Blackpool's production of Blood Brothers which has been moving Opera House audiences to standing ovations this month.

Whistle Down The Wind will run daily (except Sunday) from October 14-26, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday.

For more details or to book tickets log on to www.blackpoollive.com or phone the Opera House box office on 292029.