Wind in the Willows

Congleton Amateur Youth Theatre proudly produced their version of this classic play and I was fortunate enough to grab a ticket to see it.  Wind in the Willows tells the story of Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger and their quest to defeat the horrible Weasels.  The script has undertones of adventure, morality and friendship with hidden messages for the audience in every scene. 

Wind in the Willows was directed by Darren Brown and assisted by Louise Carter.  I think that this play is a difficult one to direct as there are various locations and it is challenging to try and show this onstage.  Darren and Louise did well to combat this and I was suitably impressed with the creative ideas that they had; using the whole stage to its full effect.  I loved the idea for the Riverbank and the boat (and barge) were creative and visually delightful.  Whilst the set was limited, it was greatly used, and the audience were able to tell where the action was taking place.  If I’m being picky, I also felt that some of the scenes lacked pace and energy, particularly some of the group scenes.  Scene changes were good, and the use of music was appreciated throughout.

The set was limited but effective.  I loved the use of the ‘hills’ with their fake grass and reeds.  The bespoke boat, barge, trailer and train were all well-made and used greatly to aid the plot.  I loved the use of the sheet for the river, even down to the waves/ripples. 

The lighting was great and the colours used-very effective.  The lighting greatly reflected the set and each scene was very well lit and appropriate for that scene.  The lighting at The Daneside Theatre is usually always fantastic and I was not disappointed again.

Props, Costumes and Wigs were brilliant.  Each character was individually distinguishable due to their costume.  I enjoyed the touches to costumes to make it clear to the audience which character was which animal.  I liked the use of added facial hair and make-up to provide this continuity further.  The props were used well throughout.  I liked the large collection of props for the banquet.

The sound was relatively, generally okay – due to the fact that the actors didn’t have microphones.  This; coupled with a noisy audience, full of children and teenagers, it was difficult to hear all of the words from the stage all of the time.  There were various stage mics that worked and picked up some of the sound but the mics at the front were not working. 

Mole was played very well by Oliver Rhodes.  I enjoyed his characterisation and energy he brought to the role.  I liked his glasses and how Oliver used them to develop his character.  Oliver had good diction and articulation also.

Rat was played by Alex Wilson.  Alex is a good storyteller and has a good stage presence.  He also had a good rapport with his fellow actors.  If I’m being picky, I would’ve preferred a little more energy and non-naturalistic characterisation, but Alex was well liked by the audience.

Oscar Eckersley played the role of Badger.  I really enjoyed Oscars version of Badger.  He did very well vocally, and I loved his characterisation and commitment to his role.  Well Done Oscar!

The star of the show for me was William Vickers who played the role of Toad.  William is an excellent actor with a great energy and commitment to role.  I loved his characterisation and confidence on stage.  He told the story well and found the humour within the text, particularly, when playing the ‘Washerwoman’.  Well done William!

It would be very unfair to me to name any others, specifically as there are far too many to mention.  I found that whilst some young actors had a good stage presence and gave everything to convey their character (both vocally and physically) others lacked character development and passion.  Generally, all told the story and the audience enjoyed this play.  A message to the cast: continue to try to find truth in what you do, passion when doing it, and try and tell the story as if people have not heard it before.  Continue to develop your stage craft by projecting your voices; speaking clearly with diction and articulation.  NODA’s tag line is to inspire amateur theatre – you certainly did this.  Well done!

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