By Jennifer Beasley.
A delight in every way, Toad of Toad Hall, resplendent in all his manic toady fads, journeys with his companions through themes of friendship and love in the Botanic Gardens.
It’s always been a dream of mine to witness The Wind In The Willows at The Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens.
Since a child, I’ve delighted in the wondrous tale of the hyper Toad, and his steadfast friends, Ratty (a Water Vole), Mole and Otter, as they try their very best to curtail some of the absurdist impulses of Mr Toad and his various ‘fads’. Written by Kenneth Grahame, and published in 1908, this pantomime styled production has been excellently directed by Glenn Elston of the Australian Shakespeare Company (ASC). Not only has Elston directed what I would assume would be a very challenging ‘stage’ in the unbounded beauty of the Botanic Gardens, but he is also directing The Merry Wives of Windsor held in another section of the gardens and reviewed with high praise by my esteemed colleague and Theatre Matters doyen, Nick Pilgrim. I don’t know how Elston manages to direct two plays at once, but sir, you are a genius.
The Wind In The Willows remains eternally fresh, thanks to updated segments and the most talented of actors and crew. Injecting a ‘Head Rabbit’ into the story enhances the magic of ‘the great adventure’. With a flap of fluffy ears, a wiggle of one’s nose and a magical phrase, the audience is transformed into ‘rabbits,’ to the great delight of every single person there. Young, old and the young-at-heart allowed their imagination to become reality as the peace and beauty of the gardens seeps into all. Us rabbits were eager to follow along, singing the songs from Head Rabbit and his violin playing companion as we booed the evil Ronald Weasel and cheered the efforts of Otter to look for his children, Portley and Shortley (well played by the two young actors).
Running at a brisk 90 minutes, the first 40 minutes is held on The Oak Lawn, backdropped by the placid pond, as we are introduced to the fabulous energetic Ratty, as he rows in, and then Toad, complaining and blustering while canoeing their way across the waters, increasing the realism.
Mole appears, a cleaning obsessed creature with anxiety issues (every mother there sympathised with you dear), and the military-minded Badger, who does his best to contain the boundless energy of the immature Toad.
The second part took place about 50 metres away, at ‘Toad Hall’. What a fantastic prop this is. We all decamped, carrying chairs, picnic baskets and blankets to the next site, where the fun continued and the very wise Badger (a fantastic performance and I was told he was the understudy. What a voice!) divided the audience into three groups, where the parents and children could ‘hunt’ for Toad, and burn off the excess energy. Those of us that stayed (mature rabbits), were entertained by Head Rabbit, Ron Weasel and Companion Rabbit to witty revamped pop hits, slapstick and general good-natured fun.
Once all the groups join in again, the story amps up the drama as Toad obsesses about motor cars after being knocked over by a real electric car (don’t worry, no Toads were hurt during this production) and then – the fun and games begin!
This was such a funny production. I couldn’t stop laughing. This show has something for everyone and now, in it’s 38th year at the gardens, it has not lost its sparkle to charm and imbued the audience with the magic of firm friends and the power of love.
The performance ends with a beautiful song, ‘Everyone Loves Mr Toad’, as the naughty amphibian accepts his faults and thanks his friends as they all march off playing an instrument.
Lastly, we are all turned back into humans again (thank goodness. I was craving carrots) and photo opportunities with this generous and lovely cast are allowed.
A brilliant production and I urge everyone to go see it.
Tickets can be purchased at: The Wind in the Willows – 20 December 2024 – 25 January 2025
The Wind In The Willows plays at The Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, at various times, until Saturday January 25th, 2025.
