The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows (The New Musical) performed by Southport Dramatic Club (Youth) on Friday 26th August, 2022 at Southport Little Theatre, Hoghton Street, Southport.

Based on Kenneth Grahame’s best-selling classic; a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and songs by Olivier Award-winning composers and lyricists George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, ‘Wind in the Willows’ follows the lives of Mole, Badger, Rat, and the impulsive Mr. Toad with his insatiable need for speed! ‘Toad Hall’, comes under threat from the notorious Chief Weasel and his gang of sinister Wild Wooders. Full of humour, wit and a gorgeous soaring score, this is a heart-warming lesson in friendship, virtue, affection and how working together can encourage and sustain moral growth!

Southport Dramatic Club, have only recently become NODA members, so this was my first visit and I was not to be disappointed. As soon as the lights came up, this production, staged by their Youth Section, came alive!  The ‘opening scene’ which included the song ‘Spring’ set the tone for the entire production!  We were introduced to a variety of woodland creatures, some cute and harmless, others, mean and rather sinister!  All the animal groups were beautifully costumed to suit their character, the four leads ‘Rat, Mole, Badger and Toad’ all displaying their individual characters ever so well… so, I sat back and let the tale unfold!

Production Team… Paul Wilkinson (Director) and Sian Woolley (Assistant Director) are to be congratulated on a job well done. There was little doubt that these talented young people where well cast, well-rehearsed and as soon as those ‘lights came up’ were ready and willing to give us their all!  (A ‘little bird’ told me they’d even ‘thrown in’ an extra rehearsal on the morning of ‘opening night’… that extra effort paid off guys).  Pippa Morris (Choreographer) deserves ‘applause’ having produced some creative choreography, that not only played to the strength of the individual, but to the strengths of everyone involved in the various routines, not always an easy task, well done Pippa great job!  Adam Dutch (Musical Director) did a great job not only with the musical accompaniment, but also with the vocals.  There were some tremendous singers on show and some beautiful harmonies created. I was particularly impressed with two young ladies, Emily Bloom who sang in the opening number ‘Song’ and ‘One Swallow does not make a Summer’ and Georgina Abram who sang in ‘Wild Wooders’ and ‘We’re Taking Over the Hall’ well done everyone, great job!

THE CAST… to stage this musical successfully requires exceptional people in the lead roles and ‘Southport Dramatic Club Youth’ had those people front and centre!  There were, in total, ‘twenty-two’ excited, enthusiastic young people’ on stage, who, to a member, sang, danced and acted their hearts out so it does feel slightly inappropriate to start identifying individuals without perhaps doing injustice to others!  But, having said that, I do think it would be remiss of me not to ‘stick my neck out’ just a little and select MY ‘fabulous five’!  Trying to decide on MY ‘Showstopper’ proved a real dilemma’ - ‘Mole or Toad’?  Joseph Bigley was exceptional as ‘Mole’… the young, inexperienced, loyal animal befriended by ‘Ratty’. Joseph created a wonderful character with a great accent!  Great stage presence, mannerisms aplenty and the comradery’ between himself and ‘Ratty’ was tangible throughout… be ever so proud Joseph!  BUT ‘by a whisker’ my ‘SHOWSTOPPER’ was Harry Corcoran with his portrayal of the ‘larger than life’ amphibian ‘Toad’. This was an outstanding performance, great stage presence, believable characterisation, energy, enthusiasm, his connection with every cast-member was impressive, be ever so proud Harry… great job sir!  Having said all that about those two, we had three other outstanding contributions to this production! Orlando Campolucci-Bordi, Guy Tatler and Evan Thorpe played ‘Ratty’, ‘Badger’ and Chief Weasel’ respectively.  ‘Ratty’, the kind, sociable friend and mentor to ‘Mole’. Orlando made this part his own, oozed stage presence and as previously stated, the friendship and comradery between himself and ‘Mole’ was totally believable!  Well done young man great job!  Guy did a superb job with ‘Badger’ the ‘oldest’ and ‘wisest’ animal in town!  A friend to ‘Toads’ late father, ‘Badger’ had taken it upon himself to be personally responsible for the welfare of all the other animals.  Another with stage presence aplenty, a totally believable character which he made his own and played ever so well… be proud young man! Evan’s portrayal of ‘Chief Weasel’ was up there with the best!  Leader of the rogue band of weasels, stoats, ferrets living in the ‘Wild Wood’.  He was a perfect fit for this role, impressive dancer - ‘Michael Jackson esq’ be proud Evan, great job!   A ‘fabulous five’ without doubt… but what makes a ‘good show great’ … the ‘ensemble’!

In this production, the ensemble had multiple roles, but I am only going to name what appeared to be their ‘principal role’… Jessica Carter, in her first musical, took on the role of ‘Mrs Otter’ which she played with great aplomb... well done Jessica.  Emily Bloom played ‘Portia’, the daughter of Mrs Otter who gets kidnapped by the Weasels. Emily was a member of ’The Swallows’ with Evie Twist and Tess Wright who sang my favourite song from the show… ‘One Swallow does not make a Summer’… good job girls. ‘The Hedgehog Family’, played ever so well by Nathan Power as ‘Mr Hedgehog’, Tabitha Armstrong as ‘Mrs Hedgehog’ and Katie Allen and Amelie Hayes the ‘Hedgehog Kids’. Georgina Abram, played ‘Lesser Weasel’, Hugh Tatler the ‘Car Driver’, Josh Jones the ‘Train Driver’, Gracie Barfield and Macy Rollin played ‘Squirrel Mechanics’, Sienna Woolley a ‘Mechanic’ and last be not least Maddison Rose, Helena Fletcher-Hill and Chloe Morris all played ‘Rabbits’… great job everyone, be proud! (PS: if I may offer just one ‘small piece’ of ‘constructive advice’… in no way a criticism, just something for everyone to bear in mind for the future!  If you’re ever asked to wear a ‘hat or cap’… make sure it doesn’t hide or cover your ‘eyes’!  They say ‘The eyes are the windows to the soul’ and they are… lose them and the audience loses so much! ‘Hope I haven’t offended or overstepped’… never my intention!)

The Orchestra under the watchful eye of the ever so talented Adam Dutch (Musical Director/Conductor), included Niamh Boland (Reed1), Sarah Dutch (Reed2), Cliff Ray (Trumpet), Paul Warder (Trombone), Jess Holding (Violin), Nieve Mannion (Cello), Corey Gerrard (Keys1), Joe Bloom (Key2), Mike Ciaputa (Guitar), Dan Rankin (Bass) and Paul Dutch (Drums).  Not only did we have an amazing quality of sound, but the levels were such that none of the young voices were ever overpowered, allowing us to hear every lyric sung… well done each and all, great job!

Staging/Set… the set was simple yet effective providing a great platform for this production to flow with ease…Paul Wilkinson/Radley Haynes ‘set design’; Alan Gosling and the SDC Stage Team ‘construction’ and Bob Jassamine the ‘artist work’ involved, be proud guys, great job. (PS: Loved the small boat which conveyed ‘Ratty and Mole’… again simple yet effective) Congrats also to Phyliss Spencer (Stage Manager) and her back stage team for their slick and timely scene changes which allowed the production to flow.  Congrats to all, great job!  Lights / Sound… lighting at Southport Little Theatre is always of a high standard as it was that night… congrats to Alex McKillop.  Sound… the overall sound quality was excellent, as was, as previously stated, the ‘balance between ‘orchestra and actor’.  We did have one ‘pesky’ personal mic, that caused a little problem, but nothing that affected the overall performance… so congratulations to the SDC Sound Team on their efforts!   Costumes/Props… ‘costumes’ were fabulous and enhanced the production so much… Eve McNamara and Brendan Gillow in total control.  Props were apt and used ever so well… Paul-James Green, Fi Billington, and Sam Ashton had these in their sights… well done!  Finally, where would Youth Theatre be without ‘teams’ of dedicated ‘Chaperones’ ensuring the safety and welfare of our young people… congrats to Marilyn Fletcher-Hill, Bernie Howat, Paul-James Green, Lynn Hawksworth, Sue Palmer and Sian Wooley - great job!

Can I take this opportunity to not only thank Southport Dramatic Club for inviting my wife and I to watch our first production staged by yourselves here at your home, but to thank Diane Hutchinson for looking after us throughout and introducing us to members of your committee.  We thoroughly enjoyed the production and look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Stay safe and keep well…
‘STRONGER TOGETHER’

Jim Briscoe
NODA North West
District 6 Rep

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