The Wind In The Willows

A sell-out crowd of parents and small children wait in the twilight on a lawn sloping down to a small lake in Melbourne’s beautiful Botanic Gardens.  We’re waiting for what has become – after 30 years – practically Melbourne’s Christmas panto: The Wind In The Willows – performed by very hard-working and, as they let us know, underpaid actors.  The first is Head Chief Rabbit (Chris Southall) in white tails and floppy ears.  Right off the bat, he sings and enlists the audience to be rabbits (‘wiggle your ears, twitch your nose, sing Wind in the Willows…’) and invites them to go with him on an adventure.  Who could resist?  Well, Weasel (Paul Morris) for a start: he’s no time for rabbits except in stew.  Before long all Kenneth Grahame’s enduring, ever-popular characters are on stage: Ratty (Leigh Piper) rows across the lake; Mole (Chloe Bruer-Jones – no gender balance here); and Mr Toad (Oliver Byng), who approaches in a canoe… There’s ebullient Otter (Andrew John Hondramadis) and his young son Portly (Amon Prete on opening night) and solemn, dignified Badger (Doru Surcel).

The kids are swept up in the action.  Is it these strange animals?  The catchy, funny songs?  Or grown-ups with face paint being silly?  But if their attention wanders from time to time (the script could really do with a bit of a trim), they engage with the story – helped along by this energetic, multi-talented cast: singing, dancing and playing musical instruments – some more than one - for songs or comic comment on the action.

We all move to a new location: the stately Toad Hall and Mr Toad becomes the centre of attention.  Mr Byng gives us the most camp Toad ever seen (a bit one note for my taste) with a froggy make-up job that is really rather scary.  When Toad gets into trouble, Mr Hondromatidis – a standout with his pantomime and comic timing skills - returns as a corpulent policeman.  

An action climax ensues when the animals expel Weasel and the weasels from Toad Hall and restore it to Mr Toad.  (The loyalty to Toad is intriguing.  He is a most unappealing, selfish and despicable character…  And Weasel’s cheeky exuberance is a nice contrast to the ‘goodness’ of everyone else.  There’s an English class thing at play here that has survived since 1908: Toad is the Lord of the Manor; the weasels are the lower orders.  But no matter…)  The audience cheers when Toad and his friends triumph.  As a finale, the whole ensemble sings an adapted version of Uptown Funk – and it’s great.

A day of 33° may not be quite the ideal time to see and enjoy this pantomime, but the kids were undeterred: it’s clever, it works and it’s (mostly) fun for ‘children of all ages’.

Michael Brindley