Bankers, Badgers and Bluster: “The Wind in The Wiltons” Review

★★★✰✰

Any production of The Wind in The Willows naturally butts up against previous iterations: Kenneth Grahame’s beloved novel, the immensely popular West End musical, and one of the best children’s films of the 1990s, courtesy of Terry Jones. It’s a shame then that The Wind in The Willows Wiltons has so little faith in its own story, instead overwhelming the tale with bankers, climate activists, duck-based aerobic routines and electric scooters.

Mole (Corey Montague Sholay) is forced from his home after a gang of weasels make a compulsory purchase order, as part of their nefarious plot to control the Thames Barrier, the Riverbank, and make loadsamoney. Cast adrift, Mole meets Ratty (Rosie Wyatt), Toad (Darrell Brockis) and Badger (Melody Brown)—can this motley crew join together to save their home? It’s a Christmas show, so of course the answer is yes. It’s just a shame it takes so long to get there. There is a streamlined and stronger hour and a half of material hiding inside this bloated two-hour show, which seems to veer from social satire (some very nice twists involving Badger as a jaded activist, but also endless, endless gags about bankers) to children’s show (some adorable but out of place puppets) without much to hang them together or indeed much dramatic drive. When Toad finally appears, following some dithering about and JustEat jokes, it feels like the plot is about to get going, before yet another detour.

The cast do well with their material, and their multi-instrumentalist abilities are a joy. The beautiful set by designer Tom Piper creates an evocative sense of the riverbank and its seasons, and there are some enjoyable costume touches, especially in how boiler suits can have tails. But again there is a mismatch, as performances and design neither lean entirely into the animalistic nor make convincing arguments for why the actors don’t play with the characteristics of their species—were it not for the white streak in her hair, and despite Brown’s very funny performance, you couldn’t tell Badger was a Badger at all.

The Wind in The Willows Wiltons is an admirable attempt to make a politically informed and socially conscious Christmas show, and is supported by a truly excellent and comedically gifted cast, some amusing setpieces (mostly courtesy of Toad and Toadbot) and festive goodwill. But it is ultimately too overstuffed and preoccupied with its themes to be successful for adults, and too light on plot to work for all but the most Twitter-reading children.

Words by Issy Flower

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