The Wind in the Willows at MAST Mayflower Studios Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Helen O

My 6 year old son and I couldn’t wait to visit MAST Mayflower this evening to see the Christmas Youth Production of The Wind in the Willows: Toad’s BIG Musical Adventure. What a lovely way to spend an evening of quality time together

We were sat in the Stalls of Studio 1, which was right in the middle of the auditorium and gave a fantastic view of the stage. The seats were extremely comfortable, with lots of leg room, so definitely no complaints there. Plus the seats are arranged at a perfect gradient, so your view is never obscured. I also like that it’s quite a small theatre space, so it doesn’t ever feel overcrowded, yet enough people to create the right atmosphere.

The show is based on the British Classic, The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, telling the story of Ratty, Mole, Badger and of course the outrageous, if not a tad eccentric, Mr Toad of Toad Hall. It has been a while since I read the story, but it all came flooding back this evening, in all its glorious glory!

Directed and adapted by Jacquelyn Ockwell, this adaptation took us through the seasons of Ratty and Mole meeting, through to Toad’s misdemeanours, and subsequent reclaiming of Toad Hall, which had been overtaken by the Weasels & Stoats, all with a touch of festive spirit and a nod to the local area, which always resonates well with the audience.

This is the fourth year, that Christmas Youth Productions have offered the opportunity to youngsters aged 11-18 years to work together with a professional creative team to deliver a full theatre show. This year 50 young and very talented performers, took to the stage, in an absolutely brilliant performance.

For us, the standout performance of the night was Alex Lockhart as Toad. What a performance! From the moment he appeared on stage, we knew we were in for a treat. His comic timing was absolutely phenomenal and he made the character so likeable. I really believe that a career in the entertainment industry beckons for Alex.

I think the casting of the other main players including, Grace Harrington as Mole, Charlie Clifford as Ratty and Thomas Mossman as Badger was perfect. They all played their parts so well and you really wouldn’t believe that this was a production delivered by such a young, amateur cast. Well done to all involved.

We also really enjoyed the double act of Rabbit (Julian-Kai Buellens) and Squirrel (Charlie Li) they were really funny together and bounced off of each really well.

There was a mix of dialogue and musical numbers, with a fabulous rendition of ‘Feeling Good’ opening the show and setting the bar. Grace Harrington, has a beautiful voice and delivered her songs so effortlessly. There were a couple of renditions of ‘You Make It Feel Like Christmas’ in each act, bringing some festive feel-good cheer, however, I had hoped for a couple more festive tunes to make it feel a little more Christmassy.

I think the costume designers did an awesome job with their choice of clothing to represent all of the different animals, rather than relying on using masks etc to depict the different species.

The performance ran for just shy of 2 and a half hours, with a 20 minute interval, which actually flew by, as we were enjoying ourselves so much. The show is recommended for children of all ages, including under 2’s, but I think that my younger daughter would have struggled to sit through a show of this length. My son and I thoroughly enjoyed it though.

I would absolutely recommend The Wind in the Willows: Toad’s BIG Musical Adventure to everyone. There’s no age limit and it’s suitable for the whole family. What a lovely way to spend some time with the children and introducing them to live performance at a theatre. My son left inspired to give it a go himself!

Rating: 4.5/5 (I would have just liked a couple more Christmassy songs to bring it together, but that’s just a personal opinion).

Tickets start from £20

Wind in the Willows: Toad’s BIG Musical Adventure is showing at MAST Mayflower Studios, 142-144 Above Bar Street, Southampton from Monday 23rd December to 31st December 2024 (except Christmas Day and Boxing day), with some matinee performances on offer.

For more information or to book tickets, visit www.mayflower.org.uk.