The adventures of Toad, Ratty, Badger, and Mole get a Norfolk reboot in this gentle repurposing of Kenneth Grahame’s classic characters.
In James McDermott’s adaptation Toad is (rather cheerfully) grieving his father’s death and in a pique of denial has decided to sell Sheringham Hall to the distinctly MAGA-esque Weasels, and flee Norfolk in a motorhome instead.
The deal would see Ratty, Badger, and Mole turfed out of their homes on the estate, and so they team up to stop Toad signing the contract, with some pantomime-style bad puns and incongruous songs along the way.
The show is presented in a promenade format in Sheringham Park, with a large community cast representing the “revolting” wildlife and helping marshal the audience around.
David Scotland as Ratty and Sunja Shah as Mole take the biggest chunk of the script, and milk it for all its worth. Scotland particularly enjoys McDermott’s more adult jokes and the chance to adlib as the audience meanders around. Grahame’s messing about in boats becomes the slightly more outré “cruising” in this version, while Mole’s shyness manifests in a life lived through social media.
Mary Tillett is a pompous, soliloquising Badger – I’m guessing based on an actor that irked McDermott – and Ursula Early completes the central quartet as a rumbunctious Toad who delights in shouting “Poo!” as much as the younger audience members enjoy hearing it.
There are lots of local jokes, and a well-pitched balance between family material and jokes that will fly over the shorter spectators’ heads.
It’s frothy, silly, and (when the weather plays ball) a delightful way to spend a summer’s evening.
- Wind In The Willows by Sheringham Little Theatre at Sheringham Hall, as part of Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
