The Wind in the Willows

There have been many adaptations of the 1908 novel by Kenneth Grahame for page, screen, TV and stage and HMM did a good job recreating the story within the framework provided by the writers and squeezed their energy into the small Brentwood Theatre whilst keeping many of their big show trademarks.

The beautiful digital artwork for the many rear wall projections had a tremendous impact on the production and transported the audience from the river to the forest, from the open road to Toad Hall. Each one of the pictures was created by Paula Harris Brent and showed what can be self-created with skilled digital artwork. The larger props including the boat, the bullrushes and the caravan were made with skill by Russell Lowe and looked terrific. 

Somehow seven musicians were packed into the confined space behind the screen and still had room to play. I counted eighteen instruments listed in the programme which is a band fit for a large concert hall. This goes to show that, against sometimes pre-conceived thoughts, live music can be created in whatever space is available. It just needs creative minds and willing participants. 

The Wind in the Willows was another enjoyable production from this very talented and enthusiastic group of performers. Congratulations to Jackie Lowe, Louise Ford and Ben Summers for all the creative inputs and to Jonathon Holland for leading the on-stage team. Overall, this was a fantastic company show and a great team performance. As Mr Toad would say …Poop-poop.

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