Toad of Toad Hall

It was different for me to be going to a matinee performance at Harleston Players, but the
enthusiastic audience of families and groups was a welcoming experience, along with the sneaky
weasels frightening us all in the foyer, keeping their individual characters the whole time. I was not
disappointed as I anticipated a traditional presentation of the old timeless story of Toad and his
friends.

Toad (Steve Barrett) accomplished a polished Toad with apt toad-like moves and was suitably
always looking for the next fad. Mole (Meryl Keeble) was easy going and had a great rapport with
Ratty (Sara Curtis). They both showed a good understanding and attention to detail. Badger (Paul
Baker) depicted the solitary side of his nature but a loyalty to his friends. The court scene was a
success with Judge (Dawn Symonds), Usher (Gabriel Allum-Sindall) and Policeman (Barry Givens),
all enacting these characters with a first rate and skilful performance. Alfred the Horse (Barry
Givens) managed the ‘Brummie’ accent to perfection, so appropriate for a horse and even munched
the scenery grass. Chief Weasel (Finn Cutting) showed that he was in charge of the weasels. The
supporting cast of Phoebe, the teacher, rabbits and field mice enhanced the whole production.
The Production team, (Peter Sowerbutts, Mary Frendo and H. Fraser-Simson) obviously worked well
to create all aspects of this show to blend together.

The scenery and settings were simple, with riverbank and trees, but effectively used throughout the
plot. The scene changes were slick and the props and furniture were appropriate to the era. The
costumes were cleverly presented to each individual character and again the attention to details
from head to toe was perfection. The use of colour used too eg green make up for Toad, black and
white hair for Badger complimented the excellent costumes.

The theatre set-up of audience seated on three sides of the auditorium could cause not the easiest
of scenarios to ‘light’ but this was done with the best result for the staged area.
Well done in the opening scene to Penny Martin for keeping going and staying in character, Albert
the horse with his set up cart making realistic horse noises, I enjoyed the songs throughout the
performance. They were well presented. I loved the slow-motion battle for Toad Hall, superb with a
good choice of music. Just a thought regarding ringing a bell, please consider the positioning of the
characters in relation to a ‘no bell’ situation.

My afternoon visit to Toad of Toad Hall was fun and congratulations to all involved in this fine
production. Thank you.

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