I didn’t manage to get to this before Christmas, what with the weeks of pantomimes and shows with the word Christmas in the actual title; but no matter, this enterprising, ideas-stuffed reworking of the Kenneth Grahame classic proved an entertaining pitstop in the holiday insanity. Nor had I ever visited North Wall before, and the place proved instantly likable, with a galleried upper tier of seating that made the theatre space reminiscent of some sort of 17th-century coaching inn where they happened to be throwing on a play.
This defiantly non-standard adaptation is the latest effort from kids’-theatre specialists Creation, and at 2 hours 10 minutes (including a 20-minute interval), this is not for those with a short attention span; though my four-year-old sat through the whole thing with her eyes glued front – perhaps helped on her way by the half-time strawberry ice cream. Parents should probably be aware, though, that this is a slightly more grownup-type theatre experience than, say, Angelina or Peppa Pig.
As for the play itself: well, we all know the story, right? Messing about in boats, Toad, poop-poop, the Wild Wood, secret tunnel, weasels and almighty dustup to finish with. Creation embellish this venerable narrative framework with a blizzard of novelties – from the opening scene in which a group of hikers stumble over a book in what seems like an abandoned building, to self-referential meta moments when the actors step out of character to squabble among themselves. (Well, I’m assuming that it’s in the script, unless they decided mid-show to stop Rhys King from doing his Gypsy woman speech.)
Written and directed by Gari Jones, the show generates non-stop energy from its six-strong cast – of which special mention must be made of assistant director Dave Burn, who stepped in to play Mole at the last minute, after Claire Andreadis dropped out due to illness. The main heavy lifting was done by Georgina Strawson as a jittery Ratty and Will Norris as Toad, channelling Alan B’Stard-era Rik Mayall. Clare Humphrey and the above-mentioned Rhys King adroitly took care of multiple characters, while Thomas Richardson lumbered heroically about in a fat suit as Badger.
As for the embellishments: well, some were better than others. I liked the stress on the eco message of the piece, a plea for the countryside to remain undisturbed, as well as the funny songs and the contribution of a quartet of kids from the drama groups that the company run. On the other, I wasn’t entirely sure that Toad needed to be a rock star, or that it was necessary for one of the weasels to talk in urban patois. But nothing really got in the way of the show’s tremendous verve and high good humour.
• Until 10 January. Box office: 01865 766266. Venue: North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford.
