The Wind in the Willows is a show about friendship, joy, loving and a place where It is a magical place where riverside animals come to life in many ways bringing laughter and happiness to a captivated audience,this cast certainly did.
At the Arden Theatre, their production is set in a riverside with foliage that extends into the auditorium, making the space feel very immediate and engaging.
The cast as a whole were outstanding, working together in perfect harmony, whilst also delivering fantastic individual performances.
Portraying animals on stage can be tricky, as it can end up being a bit overdone, however, this was done expertly, with enough texture of the animals, little animal touches, whilst also remaining subtle. Even the ensemble. The main cast consists of Mole (Louisa Mace), Badger (Phil Mace) Toad (Brian Denton) and Ratty (Katie Sparkes) all their characterisations were exceptionally good.
The rest of the cast, had great camaraderie, working really well together with multiple varying textures of personality. This created a wonderful portrayal of what real friendship looks like, all bringing different things to the group.
I especially enjoyed Mr Toad, who was wonderfully eccentric and funny, loud, brash and infuriating at times, but Brian manages to bring an endearing quality to Mr Toad that could have easily be lost, Brian kept this at the right level.
Badger was also cantankerous but not so much so that you turned off. Everyone was very likeable and that helped the audience go along with the show, even when it became total chaos! Sue Bailey as magistrate and Wendy Otway as horse – great characterizations. Well done Ladies.
The technical side of things was just as amazing, using the right amount of imagination and bringing something to life, it was staged expertly and managed by (Vicky Smith) and her team, also choreographed, by Ashton Town simple but effective. Riverside sounds and effects and lighting were spot on.
Jo Andrews you should be very proud of your cast, they came up trumps, as did you with great direction.
This The Wind in the Willows is a gorgeously feel-good family experience that I recommend to anyone, Play along the river bank and you may find some new friends along the way!
– Gordon Harris, NODA