Pimms, punting and plays – what more could you ask for
from summertime in Oxford? This year’s Trinity Lawns Play
combines children’s classic and Tarantino as The Trinity
Players bring the legendary Toad, Badger, Ratty and Mole to life
in their beautifully crafted production of The Wind in the
Willows. With a central cast that bristles with charm and
charisma, the massive shoes of these much-loved characters are
capably filled by the likes of Tom Mendelsohn as a capricious but
lovable Toad, Aled Roberts as a buttoned- up Ratty, and Charlie
Morrison, whose portrayal of the world-weary carthorse from
Wolverhampton is bound to raise a smile. Kenneth Graeme’s 1908 novel is known to us all, but
Bennett’s play brings to the surface less obvious facets of
the original work, as his irony fuses with the original text.
While embracing the innocent humour and iconic status of the
original novel and its characters, director Hannah Eastwood has
emphasised the more sinister aspects of the play to add a
menacing undertone to this otherwise benign tale. The evil
undertone could, in the hands of a less capable director,
collapse into a farcical pantomime, but the malicious energy of
Lucy Colter (Chief Weasel) and her bunch of rodent ruffians is
carefully staged, providing the necessary foil to the homely
antics of Toad and his gang. Add to this the complications of a
Mole-Rat- Badger love triangle, and the stage is set for crises
both public and personal which add an extra dimension to this
classic tale. For those of us who are less interested in the finer dramatic
nuances, this is well worth seeing if only for the interesting
set. Set designer Mike Ward cleverly recreates riverbank life
with a set styled as the contents of an enormous school bag,
incorporating a huge textbook and an inkstained handkerchief
which unwinds to become the river. It is striking and effective,
complementing the picturesque Trinity verdure. Like the best plays, what makes this production engaging is
that everyone seems to be having a good time. In its endearing
simplicity, this production is the perfect antidote to exam
stress.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004
The Wind in the Willows
