Cast:

All other parts played by members of the Company. An O.R.P. Production directed by Alan Wood.

Crew:

This production is dedicated to the memory of Eileen & Wallace.

The Author:

Messing about in boats was one of Kenneth Grahame's favourite hobbies long before he created the riverbank adventures of Toad, Badger, Mole and Water Rat for his young son Alastair - who was nicknamed mouse.

Though he was born in Edinburgh, the third child of a Scottish lawyer, Kenneth Grahame was only five years old when his mother died and he was sent to live with his grandmother in a large house by the Thames.

In later years, Grahame liked to go sailing off the coast of Cornwall. Little bits of both Berkshire and Cornwall became part of The Wind in the Willows, Grahame's idealised look at English country life in the Edwardian age.

But the story wasn't just a jolly tale to amuse a small boy. It was also a nostalgic retreat for his father into childhood that had never entirely ended, even though he was nearly fifty when the book was published in 1908.

ACT I

Sc 1 Down by the willows
Sc 2 The riverbank
Sc 3 The wild wood
Sc 4 Badgers house
Sc 5 The same (some weeks later)
Sc 6 Toad Hall
Sc 7 Down by the willows

ACT II

Sc 1 The court house
Sc 2 The dungeon
Sc 3 The river bank
Sc 4 Rats house
Sc 5 The secret passage

There will be one interval of 15 minutes between Act I & Act II.

Reviews:

Timeless classic told about the Toad

The Wind in theWillows performed by the Oldbury Rep

By Dan Slee

Refreshing tales of the riverbank are just what the doctor ordered on a baking hot day.

As English as strawberries and cream, Kenneth Grahame's story of Mr Toad and friends is a timeless childrens' adventure story.

Well directed and well performed, it brought a smile to the face even if the temperature in the auditorium was creeping towards the high side.

The tale is of the feckless but lovable egotist Toad of Toad Hall, superbly played by Chris Smith falling into trouble through his love of fast cars.

Mr Badger, excellently played by Maurice Felton, adopts a stern headmasterly pose to try and talk sense into him before its too late.

Friends Mole (Rob Hodgkiss) and Water Rat (Adrian Page) try to keep Toad on the straight and narrow but a clutch of smashed cars and a bit of vehicle theft on the side sees Mr T up in court.

A wonderfully over the top Judge (Mark Moran) sentences the portly one to 20 years in prison thanks in no part to some jury fixing from Toad's nemesis the Chief Weasel played by Gemma Tansell.

Director Alan Wood can I be justly proud of this production delivered with a clutch of songs and some. fine choreography.

Hugely enjoyable and all the more amazing when you consider this classic English story was written by the son of a Scottish lawyer.

FINAL VERDICT

Natural sense of fun

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Barlow Theatre, Langley

BOASTFUL Toad ruffles a few feathers on the riverbank in Kenneth Grahame's amusing tale cleverly brought to life by the Oldbury Repertory Players.

His passion switches from horse-drawn caravans to motor cars, landing him in a series of scrapes and eventually a brush with the law.

Chris Smith gives a highly mobile and extremely amusing performance as the irrepressible Toad, especially in the court and prison scenes, while Rob Hodgkiss (Mole), Maurice Felton (Badger) and Adrian Page (Rally) sparkle in the roles of the three loyal pals who try to tame Mr T.

It's great fun for adults and children, with the cast darting through the audience at times, and there are welt constructed sets for Badger and Ratty's homes. Directed by Alan Wood, this story of tearaway toad is worth hopping along to see.

PAUL MARSTON

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