Wind in the Willows - Lichfield Garrick Review

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Thu 27 Jul 2023 - Sat 29 Jul 2023

It is quite heart-warming to see that Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of life on the riverbank still has the power to entertain and captivate children more than a century after it was first written. Grahame's children's story about the adventures of Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger was created for his own son in the early 1900s, and it is hard to imagine that he would have been any less spellbound than the enthralled youngsters who attended a packed Lichfield Garrick theatre in Staffordshire.

This new adaptation of Wind in the Willows, created by the Lichfield Garrick Production Company, forms the theatre's annual Community Musical for 2023, with the entire cast made up of stage-struck people from the local area. Only the four musicians, who blend into the background on stage throughout, are professionals. Writer and director Jonny McClean promised in his programme notes that his adaptation was loyal to the book "in some places", but that it also contains "some surprises" in others, and he certainly delivered.



Jonny further states that tales of deep friendships and community are needed "now more than ever", and this message is entirely overriding in his adaptation, seemingly even more so than the original novel. The Lichfield Garrick production opens with Mole spring-cleaning the riverbank, which is delightfully depicted by the colourful set dominated by a giant willow tree, beneath which the musicians are inconspicuously sat.

One of the apparent 'surprises' in this adaptation is quickly established when Mole is revealed to the audience as 'Miss Mole'. And, not to leave it there, Mole's good friend Ratty the water vole also turns out to be a 'she' later in the story. The gender changes may seem obvious with Mole and Ratty excellently played by Bethan Parri and Genevieve Richards respectively, but then the principal character of 'Mr' Toad, resplendent in a green outfit, is also played by a female - an impressive performance by Holly Rice.



That aside, the story pretty much follows the essential Wind in the Willows plot. Mr Toad's passion for following fads sees him take to the road in a horse-drawn caravan before an encounter with a motor car sees him quickly dump the horse for machine. After numerous car crashes, he eventually ends up in prison, with the weasels and stoats of the Wild Wood taking the opportunity to occupy stately Toad Hall.

The strong messages of friendship, loyalty and community are all there in abundance for audience members whether aged seven or 70, as Toad's friends rally round to help despite his past misdemeanours. The annual community musical wouldn't be a musical without a regular smattering of songs, in particular, Chief Weasel (Jayne Ison) complaining about the hard life in the woods. There was one particularly entertaining scene with Toad at the wheel of a 'car', which was soon followed by his appearance in court.



The response from children in the audience is that they loved it, and they are the obvious barometer of what transpired on stage as everything turns out well in the end.

Wind in the Willows continues at the Lichfield Garrick until Saturday 29th with a matinee and evening performance. For further information visit www.lichfieldgarrick.com.


#musical
#family_friendly
#theatre_shows

%wnstaffordshire
!date 27/07/2023 -- 29/07/2023