The Wind in the Willows
Written by Kenneth Grahame. Adapted by Alan Bennett. Directed by Ed White
15th -18th July 2026, Orchard Dene Garden Theatre, Blewbury.
What a wonderful anniversary summer! The Wind in the Willows sold out for all performances within two weeks of our box office opening! We played to full houses with almost 1200 people of all ages enjoying the exploits and adventures of Toad and his friends Ratty, Mole and Badger. They steered motor-car-obsessed Toad away from his reckless behaviour and helped him mount a courageous mission to reclaim Toad Hall from the weasels. Blewbury’s open air garden theatre was the ideal setting. Thanks for the numerous wonderful messages we received following our performances. And thank you Chris for taking time to submit the following review to the Blewbury Bulletin…
SUMMER PLAY REVIEW: THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
“The Wide World”, we were warned in the opening minutes of The Wind in the Willows, “is a topic we avoid.” And given the mayhem of the Wide World in 2026, who could argue with that? For two hours on a warm July evening, we needed only to remember that 2026 marks 50 years since the founding of the Blewbury Players, and that for their golden anniversary production they had invited us to share the garden of Orchard Dene with the creatures, human and otherwise, of former Blewbury resident Kenneth Grahame’s landmark work of children’s literature.
The overall tone was set from the very start, as music from Annie Casey’s fine six-piece band heralded the arrival of a pack of animal actors dressed in Edwardian finery and sporting a variety of furry ears and tails. As with all the play’s crowd scenes, some featuring up to thirty people, director Ed White’s choreographic expertise ensured there was always method in the madness; for the first meeting of Mole and Rat, the twirling parasols of this opening sequence quickly transformed themselves into a swirling river, providing a perfect foil for the ingeniously designed rowing boat in which our heroes set off for their evening’s adventure.
As in the original story, there were four major characters. In Mole, Nikki Gibson gave us a plucky newcomer who we quickly took to our hearts as our guide to the world of the Riverbank. With the gentlemanly Rat, Jessica Haworth disarmed us with a Joyce Grenfell-ish combination of innocence, enthusiasm and doing the right thing. In gruff, no-nonsense Badger, Steve White wielded a (very) big stick just enough to convince us we wanted him on our side. And in a garish, green-checked suit, with hair to match, Chris Mousley Jones was every inch the rascally, irrepressible Mr Toad, switching from bombast to boredom, from road hog to romantic dreamer, faster than you can say “poop, poop!”. A word, too, for a fifth animal, Albert the horse, added to the story by playwright Alan Bennett and played lugubriously and hilariously by Jane Gibson. And not forgetting Myf Laugharne’s gang of pinstriped hooligan weasels, barging through the action as a constant reminder that it could all turn to tears.
Against this manic riverbank menagerie, the play’s few human characters had a tough job making themselves heard. Nevertheless, Ric Harley’s Magistrate, Stephanie Hilder’s Washerwoman, Lara Sharman’s Bargewoman, Laura Pusey’s Gaoler’s Daughter and Brian Nutter’s Brummie-accented Train Driver all made a lasting impression. And as always in Players productions, those on stage were strongly supported by those off, notably Caitlan Smith and Dave Carless’s precision sound cues, Max Varvill’s dynamic lighting and designer Lizzy McBain’s astonishing parade of picture-book boats, trains and automobiles in which the characters whizzed whimsically around the stage.
As Bennett writes in his introduction to the play, it is “a formidable undertaking… I just hope that future casts and directors will have as much fun doing it as we all did at the National Theatre and the Old Vic.” On the evidence of this 50th anniversary production, the Blewbury Players definitely did. And so did we! Chris Whatmore