I’d never heard of Stolen Thread Productions, so it was with some trepidation that I arrived at Pennington Flash Country Park with two children in tow aged 9 and 5, to watch their adaptation of ‘Wind in the Willows’. As a regular visitor of the park I could see how the setting and backdrop could enhance and bring the performance to life and I was not let down.
‘Wind in the Willows’ tells the story of Ratty, Mole, Toad and Badger and the friendships and adventures that they go on in the countryside. Mole wishes to meet the gregarious and lively Toad, and Ratty, somewhat unwillingly, proceeds in doing this. Being a promenade performance I really felt that I was following them on these adventures as we walked around the delightful countryside and watched the performance amidst the glorious sun setting,surrounded by the sights and smells, and sometimes passing dogs who wanted to contribute to the performance! This only added to the atmosphere and it was a total immersive piece of theatre.
On arrival, we were greeted by some of the cast as the weasels and stouts in masks. I thought they may have slightly scared my children, but they absolutely loved them. Their Mancunian drawl and physical attributes certainly laughable. This was backed up by live music from Craig Hodgkinson playing the music of Oasis. At this point I was intrigued as this obviously wasn’t going to be the traditional telling of the tale! These characters took the audience on their adventure ad-libbing and joking and making the audience feel at ease. Then the performance began. The entrance of Ratty on his boat, rowing down a small canal was mesmerising and I suddenly felt like a child again. The first scene set on the embankment grabbed me instantly and the actors had me hooked. Looking at the programme I queried what role the set designer Mark Blatchford had in helping to create the ‘sets’ as they were already there, but his choice of location for each scene was intelligent and impressive, from the opening scene on the embankment, to the scene at the prison, to the woods, but most spectacularly the scene between Ratty and Toad with the backdrop of the lake behind. Each scene framed superbly.
The costumes designed by Charlotte Vinsen were inventive and interesting. Each symbolically representing the attitudes of the characters. Ratty with a nautical feel, navy, stripes and a captains hat. Mole as being very motherly in nature in browns and yellows. Badger in his black and white striped army blazer with his army medals adorned and Toad in the very traditional yellow and green suit. Every aspect of the costumes had been well thought out, even the Judges’s wig, cleverly made out of rolls of children’s colouring pads, which I loved! Additional songs were well performed, the start of Act 2 and Toad singing a rendition of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ was amusing, as well as the cast singing a parody of Wonderwall by Oasis, referencing Toad of Toad Hall. The added live music during the interval and the serving of drinks from a horse box all adding to the overall ambience of the evening.
The acting was excellent. The energy and camaraderie between all the actors was fantastic. Martin Green portrayed Ratty brilliantly, both physically through his use of gesture and expression to his voice. Tony Beswick as Badger depicted his authoritarian nature effortlessly and added in his own mannerisms, such as the quivering chin to define the character's age. Kevin Dewsbury captured Toad’s playfulness and bravado colourfully, his comic timing and characterisation providing great pace to the show. He used his mask to his advantage and created some great comic moments with it. I was most impressed with Susan McArdle as Mole. The choice of an actress to play this role was creative and juxtaposed well against the other characters. The motherly interpretation of the character played out well, her gait and physicality of character splendid. The moment that sealed it for me was a rambling monologue regarding her exploit to Toad Hall, which by this point had been taken over by the weasels and toads. In this monologue she convincingly used three accents, in quick succession! From her motherly Lancashire, to Mancunian, to Somerset. Stunning! The ensemble provided some excellent characterisations, most notably Callum Jones as the scheming and conniving Clerk. The only negative I can comment upon is although the masks were aesthetically pleasing, in fact fabulous, some of them did hinder the actors vocally, which was a shame as it affected their projection and diction. If only some of he lower sections had been removed this may have helped, in particular Ratty as the actor had so many lines and had to really push his voice.
The show lasted two and a quarter hours with an interval which I felt was a little long, I think they could have edited the production down a little, particularly as there were a number of very young children in the audience. Saying that, my two were completely engrossed and rated it 10/10.
I thoroughly enjoyed this production. A real treat and a delight to watch. Will Travis’s interpretation of the play is fresh and innovative. I just wish it was better advertised as I wouldn’t have known about it unless I was reviewing it, and I don’t live that far away! Stolen Thread Productions are a company to watch and I wish them all the best in the future.
Reviewer - Catherine Owen
on - 9/8/18
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