The Wind In The Willows

If I were giving out stars then I’d have to say this would be a three out of five and that’s generous. When I reviewed the original cast recording in 2018 I found it ‘proficient, but unfortunately tediously twee,’ and I’m afraid viewing it live doesn’t make me want to change that opinion. Kenneth Graham’s 1908 book about the bucolic river life of Ratty, Badger and Mole, has been loved for generations, but for this adaptation Julian Fellowes lacks his Downton Abbey mojo, with not one quotable line in the entire show. Couple that with a score that mostly sits in the ho-hum basket, and you have an over-bloated physical production that is heavy-handed in the whimsy and eccentricity department.

But having said that, the cast are good and extremely likeable, with Simon Lipkin’s Ratty one of best performances in the show. Also nice was Craig Mather’s nerdy Mole. Rufus Hound’s Toad is bumptious, Gary Wilmot gives Badger some military precision, but it was Neil McDermott’s spivvy Chief Weasel that brought a touch of Guys and Dolls to the stage.

Peter McIntosh’s design is both garish and tasteful, with Badger’s hole a wondrous collection of books displayed in a circular backdrop, whilst the colour-coded costumes are a stand-out with the rabbits as footmen in emerald green, and the foxes in red fox-hunting outfits.

Best of Stiles and Drewe’s work is the jaunty ‘The Open Road’ which has a la-la-la chorus reminiscent of Hamilton’s ‘You’ll Be Back’ and ‘A Friend is Still a Friend’, a pleasant well-written trio for Wilmot, Lipkin, and Mather.

Innocent, overly twee, and undemanding musical fare.

Peter Pinne