Reader Reviews
Wind in the Willows (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | This is no doubt a minority opinion but I found the show very hard to like. Grahame's novel and Shepherd's illustrations were part of my childhood, and something tells me that many of the delighted customers at the WYP were not familiar with the book. Alan Bennett's additional dialogue is full of anachronisms, most of them deeply unfunny, and Dick Bird's set is ingenious but unmagical - the snow-free Wild Wood is about as frightening as an adventure playground and Mole's house is every bit as ugly as Ratty thinks it is. Some costumes succeed in making the actors look like animals without the use of heavy makeup or masks, others don't; a few are merely silly (what the heck was a 1940's WAAF rabbit doing making tea at Badger's strategy-planning meeting? Although Toad's car was also distinctly un-Edwardian...) The reliable Malcolm Scates was Toad to the life, Cameron Blakely was a fine Badger, Dominic Green stole the show as the miserable Brummie horse Albert but I found Ratty and Mole merely irritating. As for the final song and dance number - why? It felt as phoney and tacked on as the cringeworthy, illusion-destroying chase through the auditorium. A sadly wasted opportunity. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.173) | 08 Feb 04 |
| I too have seen it twice - an absolute joy. Malcolm Scates is one of the best stage actors around, as anyone who saw him as Alan Bennett in "The Lady in the Van" can attest. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.171) | 02 Feb 04 |
| The production was terrific. It's been a long time since I've been to the Playhouse, prefering local (cheaper!) productions. I hadn't quite bargained for the level of audience involvement though - my lap finished the evening with a grand total of 2 weasels and 1 toad having sat or fallen on it (during the fight to reclaim Toad Hall which somehow spilled over into the audience) and 1 lady who repeated the performance whilst apparently making her way to the toilet. My 10 year old daughter loved it too - except for the bit where the weasel decided to eat the baby rabbits ear whilst carrying it off the stage. Her objection was that he could have waited until she'd been cooked first which lead us into quite a discussion on the etiquette of eating live, stolen baby rabbits and whether a Weasel should have better table manners. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.69.37.108) | 30 Jan 04 |
| Absolute perfection. I have been to see it twice and am booked to see it again! The singing scenes are my favourite and I wish they were longer, I could listen to them forever! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.153.9.108) | 21 Jan 04 |
| Sublime! A wonderful adaptation, wonderfully acted on a wonderful set. And Albert the depressed Brummie horse fits so perfectly into Grahame's story I bet many satisfied customers will be amazed to discover that he isn't in the book! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.177) | 12 Jan 04 |
| Ian Conningham is just outstanding as Chief Weasel! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.163) | 29 Dec 03 |
