The Wind in the Willows

CODYS Productions took to the stage with their production of ‘The Wind in the Willows’, directed by group chairman, Nick Cupit. The direction from Nick was good throughout. All the cast were well drilled and knew what they were doing. There was obvious work on characterisations with the cast, especially with the principal cast. The pace of the production was very good The general blocking throughout was good. There were a few moments where it could have been tightened up, due to there being a lot of people on stage, particularly in the battle of Toad Hall and rescuing Portia. The set was very good, with different set pieces brought on to denote different locations. Props used were good as well, with a great boat for Ratty, which was well manoeuvred, and a fantastic looking caravan. The set and props were well constructed and fit for purpose.  Costumes were a strong aspect of this production. Each animal group were distinct from the Squirrels with their bushy tales to the Mice in browns with ears. The nod to the animals in the costumes helped distinguish the cast throughout. The costumes of the Swallows were imaginative, with their light up wings. Well done Reggi Hennessey and team for your work.

Emily Woodward took the helm as musical director for this production. The cast did very well performing to backing tracks – no mean feat! The score includes a range of musical styles, which the cast delivered with aplomb. There were some lovely harmonies throughout from the cast. Well done to Emily for her work.

The choreographer was Laura Cupit. The choreography was strong throughout and delivered well by the cast. From the Otters with their synchronised swimming style choreography to the Wild Wooders exciting movements. Sofia Wilkinson-Hill choreographed the tap number in ‘The Open Road’, which she also performed as the Horse. This was executed very well by Sofia.

Technical elements were well integrated into the production. The lighting design was very good throughout, with lots of specials as part of the design. The colours used were very good as well, especially the reds when characters were talking about the Wild Wood. The sound balance between the cast and backing tracks was good throughout. There were a few moments where microphones were left on backstage during the first act, but this was soon rectified for the rest of the performance.

Harvey Farrell impressed as Mr Toad. It was a confident performance and you felt at ease when Harvey was on stage. Harvey was completely over-the-top, which worked well for the character. He totally embodied the character, providing some excellent facial expressions. Harvey impressed with his vocals throughout. A strong performance.

Dan Littlemore gave an extremely good performance as Ratty. There was a sarcastic delivery to his lines, which worked well, especially in the interactions with Toad. Dan was able to show a softer side to Ratty’s character as well, through his scenes with Jess as Mole. Dan’s vocals throughout were very good as well.

Jess Ratcliffe did well as Mole. This was a sincere performance from Jess, adding another dynamic to the stage. There were a few moments where the accent slipped, but the characterisation from Jess was spot on. It was great to see Mole’s journey from start to finish, thanks to Jess’s performance.

Jacob Grimes gave a good performance as Badger. Always at the edge of the action, this further emphasised Badger as an outsider. There was a sense of wistfulness to Jacob’s performance, which really suited the character.

Amy Littlemore gave good support as Mrs Otter. Taking inspiration from Denise Welch’s portrayal of the character in the original professional production, Amy gave us a Geordie Mrs Otter. She sustained the accent throughout and played the motherly figure well. Amy worked well with her stage daughter, Elizabeth Usher, who played Portia. Elizabeth performed very well throughout.

Matty Davies gave a good performance as Chief Weasel. He was cocky and strutted through the scenes with confidence. He worked well with Harry Brown (Lesser Weasel) and Ruby Horton (Sheryl Stoat), who both did very well as the sidekicks. Matty did well leading his numbers.

The ensemble worked hard throughout, playing different characters throughout. There were some lovely moments from the ensemble, including ‘The Hedgehog’s Nightmare’ – well done Ollie Shaw, Lily Loftus, Eden Cannon and Connie Pollard. The Field Mice were well drilled and performed their numbers very well. ‘The Wassailing Mice’ was a joy to watch. Well done all.

Overall, this was a great production. There were strong performances from the principal cast, great ensemble moments, and exciting choreography.

A big thank you to everyone at CODYS for their kind invite and their hospitality.

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