The Wind in the Willows

This version of Kenneth Grahame’s well loved tale of Mr Toad and his riverbank friends was originally commissioned by Pitlochry Festival Theatre for their 2021 outdoor season (adapted by Mark Powell; songs by Mark Powell and Ben Occhipinti; musical arrangements by Richard Colvin) and had been special adapted for this group of 7-15 year olds. The script was full of witty dialogue and peppered with corny “dad” jokes - courtesy of the whistle blowing Otter strongly played by Maisy Mackay – and the songs were catchy. Amelia Osborne gave a strong performance as the irrepressible, over–enthusiastic Mr Toad. Arianna-Skye Hunter and Abi Leslie, as the nervous Mole and sensible Rat respectively, gave excellent performances and had strong singing voices. So too did Katie Newlands as the sage Badger. Isaac Masson as Chief Weasel was another strong character and led his band of rascally Wild Wooders well in their “Welcome to the Wicked Wild Wood/Hall” numbers. Strong support was given by Rachael Clark (Judge), Karla Brand (Joyce), Devan Thornley (Horse) plus Robert Dennison and Dee Lawson as the upper-crust humans Kenneth and Elspeth. Rowan Moir gave a delightful comic performance in her cameo of the prison washerwoman Aunt Margaret. The chorus of squirrels, rabbits and other riverbank creatures sang and moved well in the company numbers. Costuming was colourful and appropriate to each of the characters. The set was simple and colourful and I liked the use of the projections of local views to indicate the riverbank, wild wood, roads and Toad Hall interior. Good use too was made of sound effects of the flowing river, the car engine and crashes and especially in the fight scene at Toad Hall. The 5 piece band handled the music well and were sympathetic to the young voices of the actors. Well done to Director Graham Wilson, his production team and the young actors for a delightful evening’s entertainment.

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