You’ll never have to search too hard to find an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s beloved The Wind in the Willows, and this Christmas the tale comes to East London, in the form of The Wind in the Willows Wilton’s, written by children’s author Piers Torday and directed by Elizabeth Freestone.
Most adaptations tend to focus on the antics of Toad of Toad Hall and miss out some of the standalone stories that featured in Grahame’s original novel, but Torday has sought to change that by including the encounter with Pan, and the search for Portly, the daughter of Otter.
The story has been modernised too, the wicked weasels, ferrets, and stoats are bankers and capitalists, with one declaring they are a ‘hedge manager’. They take advantage of rampant consumerism and have monopolised the energy supply, hiking up prices at an alarming rate. They pollute the river by dumping rubbish straight into the water way and bulldoze their way to getting what they want.
“He’s a billionaire” they chant in reference to the chief weasel, “we don’t care that it’s not fair”. The references are all pretty tongue in cheek rather than overtly political, and they do raise plenty of knowing laughs from the adults in the room. The younger audience members are entranced by Tom Piper’s gorgeously abundant and overflowing set, that pays attention to even the smallest of details.
There’s some adorable puppetry too, which is well executed, but it’s the cast of seven actor musicians who tell the bulk of the story. The Wind in the Wilton’s is bulging with plenty of folksy style songs, that give messages of friendship and standing up for what you believe in. The songs don’t always sound wonderful, but they have their own certain charm and are certainly very witty.
Toad does get a good outing, wonderfully portrayed by Darrell Brockis, but in this modern telling, it’s not caravans and motorcars that grab his attention; but drones and e-scooters. However, the real focus of the story is on the friendship between Mole (Corey Montague Sholay) and Rat (Rosie Wyatt) and it makes for a heartwarming Christmas adventure.
The Wind in the Wilton’s looks beautiful, and the set design alone will have younger audiences engaged from the get-go. It’s bright and bawdy, with a gentleness that keeps it as endearing as the story has always been, and that makes it a perfect alternative to pantomime this Christmas.
The Wind in the Wilton’s is at Wilton’s Music Hall until 31st December 2022.
