Wind in the Willows The Pantomime

As always the sets built in house looked brilliant and no time was wasted for scene changes. The props worked well and the costumes and makeup looked fabulous. The lighting and sound complimented the scenes. The songs were performed to backing tracks.

The choreography was good and looked effective. The small chorus and cast were smiling and looking like they were having fun and this is testament to both Carole as Director and Samantha as Choreographer who clearly made the process fun.

It was lovely to see Tony Cenci back on stage as Mr Toad. There is always an element of fun on stage when Tony is on it as he adlibs and forgets lines with a regularity that includes the audience as part of the joke. His portrayal of Mr Toad was great and he filled the role well.

The Enchantress was beautifully played by Rowan Curran who had filled the role with a couple of week’s rehearsal. Despite others trying to throw him he is very commanding on stage and has bags of stage presence.

Jane Pearson was fantastic as The Weasel Queen with great diction and stage presence. Her interaction with the audience was brilliant and the little boy I took with men was genuinely scared of her.

Maureen Copp was fabulous as Mole. Being so small was such an advantage here in this role and her hat and big glasses added beautifully to the character. Maureen’s squeaky voice and mannerisms completed a great portrayal.

Nathan Simpson was great as Ratty with good vocals and stage presence and Tony Mooney was excellent as Badger portraying his superior attitude to his friends but still allowing the audience to like him.

Mrs Otter was expertly played by Carole Griffiths who also directed the pantomime. Her portrayal was great including some traditional Dame scenes. The direction was well put together including song choices and scene changes.

The two final characters were The Weasel Queens sidekicks of Knawbone and Knashfang. Lauren Copp and Jade Veevers (who only stepped in at the last minute on the night I reviewed this show) both performed well and Lauren and Jane helped Jade so the addition was almost seamless. Well done all of you.

I like that shortened versions of songs were used and how the audience participated despite there being very few children in on the night I reviewed. Well done to everyone involved both on and off stage for a very enjoyable nights entertainment.

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