NEXT week sees the first musical to be staged at the Birmingham Hippodrome after its £28 million development project.

Bill Kenwright presents Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's hit West End musical Whistle Down the Wind at the Hurst Street venue from Friday until Saturday, November 24.

The musical, based on the much-loved film starring Hayley Mills, follows Birmingham Royal Ballet's sold-out Silver Gala on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Set in the Bible Belt of America's Deep South in the 1950s, Whistle Down the Wind is an uplifting tale of the transforming power of love, proving that kindness can be found in the strangest of places.

A 15-year-old girl discovers a mysterious man hiding out in a barn. When she asks his identity the first words he utters are "Jesus Christ" - it's as if all her prayers have been answered.

The show contains a range of hit songs including No Matter What, which was a huge success across Europe for Boyzone and made Lloyd Webber and Steinman the UK's number one songwriters during the summer of 1998.

The musical stars Australian-born Tim Rogers and Kate Rowley Jones, who makes her professional stage debut.

Performances take place at 7.30pm with matinees at 2pm on Wednesday and 3pm on Saturdays.

Tickets cost £10-£29 from the box office on 0870 730 1234.