New Wimbledon Theatre – 10 May 2019
Reviewed by Catherine Françoise
4****
There was a real buzz about the Gala Night performance of In The Willows at the New Wimbledon Theatre in aid of the National Children’s Deaf Society! In The Willows has been receiving rave reviews on its’ U.K. tour and deservedly so. Metta Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre have created a twenty-first century, energised, hip-hop / street dance adaptation of Kenneth Williams timeless classic Wind In The Willows with a fab cast of great dancers, brilliant rappers and powerful vocals. The BSL (British Sign Language) signer was brilliant as well, with great energy and also occasionally integrated into the choreography. The significant number of deaf audience members and their families who were cheering and applauding at the end was very wonderful! I particularly loved the very moving song in act 2 when Mole took over signing when she couldn’t properly express her feelings with words, instead using her hands to express herself freely ~ a very beautiful moment.
The score has obviously been heavily influenced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and I noted strong influences from In The Heights in ensemble numbers in particular which is no bad thing. The songs are catchy and the lyrics sharp and witty, driving the story forward. Interesting to see Toad, Ratty, Badger, Mole, Otter, Weasle et al reimagined! The piece itself is updated and set in an inner city school where a nervous, fragile, frightened Mole (also hiding a dark distressing secret) is starting her first day. Her classmates look a bit scary. Surely Mr Badger will look out for her, as streetwise Ratty, rich kid Toad and cheeky Otter teach her the ways of The Riverbank. But when Toad gets locked up for joyriding, the Weasel Clan break into his (lily) pad. It’s now only a matter of time before Chief Weasel reveals Mole’s dark secret…
Olivier Award winner Clive Rowe (star of Tracy Beaker) stars as Mr Badger. We already know he can raise the roof of any venue with his incredible voice but he demonstrates he can also rap with the best of them as well! Also cast alongside Rowe are deaf street dancer Chris Fonseca (The Greatest Dancer) as Otter who was extremely warmly received, with a charismatic presence as well as being a great dancer! Victoria Boyce, impressed as Mole with soaring vocals; Abiola Efunshile gave a strong, feisty Owl; Harry Jardine as Toad completely reinvents this well known character, also making the audience have far more empathy with him than usual; Matt Knight (Let It Shine) is suitably menacing as Chief Weasel, also revealing a more vulnerable side to this character and also demonstrating superb dance abilities! Zara Macintosh as Ratty, Seann Miley Moore (X Factor Finalist) as Duck, Katherine Picar as Bitchy Rabbit, and Treasure Iyamu as Twitchy Rabbit also delight with their characters. The whole cast work wonderfully together and each brings something new and touching to each role.
Rowe says: “From the moment I was first introduced to In The Willows I knew it was something I had to be a part of – a classic piece of British theatre given the voice and unquenchable energy of the modern generation.”
I took 3 teenagers with me at the behest of the producers who wanted feedback from younger people as well as adults and these young teens absolutely loved the show, especially the dancing which they said was “very, very good!” They also loved the rapping, especially when it got really, really, really fast and could still be understood! Have to say Mr Toad was particularly impressive in this regard!
I was a tad perturbed that 2 of the teens had no clue about the original Wind in the Willows story at all though! (How can this be? Isn’t it required primary school reading any more?!). Not that this adaptation was closely aligned with the original story! But the one girl who had read the original book seemed to understand the story more easily than the two who hadn’t which makes sense!
Very worth seeing if it comes to a theatre near you on tour!
Recommended for all from age 6+ to any old age at all! In The Willows promises “ballads, beats and backflips” and “fun for the whole family” and it certainly delivers!