Wind In The Willows At The Chichester Festival Theatre Review

Reviewed by Kelly Victoria

It was an absolute pleasure to be invited to watch the Chichester Youth Theatre Production of Wind in the Willows at the Chichester Festival theatre last night.

The evening started with a warm welcome as we entered into the theatre itself. Decorated beautifully for Christmas with twinkly lights and plenty of Christmas trees the theatre was warm and inviting. The staff there are absolutely wonderful and were amazingly welcoming. We talked to some of them through the evening and they were so excited and proud of the show and young talent that were performing there.

As we entered the theatre to take our seats we were treated with a simple but stunning set. Chichester Festival Theatre has a thrust stage which is more round in shape meaning you can view it from all angles except for the back. This means that the view from every seat in the house is a good one and allows the performers to really engage with the audience.

As the show started, it was clear to see we were in for a treat. Telling the traditional tale that we all know and love we follow the adventures of Mole (Milena Harrison) and Ratty (Spencer Dixon) who take an adventure down the river. Along the way, were introduced to the very pompous Toad (Jack Keane) who ends up in trouble, as a result of his driving. Then along comes Badger (Alfie Ayling) who welcomes the trio into his home and together they work to save Toad from a terrible fate in prison and save themselves and the rest of the wildlife from the evil Weasels, Ferrets and bad creatures.

The young performers in this show were as good as anyone you’d expect to see on a stage in London. Honestly, they were exceptional.

Mole and Ratty made the perfect duo and were endearing to watch. Milena and Spencer represented the relationship between the pair of then perfectly and drew you in right from the very start of the show.

Jack Keane as Toad was an absolute triumph. He played the arrogant and over confident Toad with conviction and honestly couldn’t have portrayed the character any better.

Each and every performer on the stage gave such an incredible and detailed performance. It was clear to see that a lot of work had gone into understanding the detail of there individual characters and they never once dropped their performance for a second.

My favourite parts were when the entire cast were on stage together. I also loved the scene at the end of Act One with all of the Mice, Ratty and Mole singing In The Bleak Mid Winter complete with snow falling on stage.

The costumes used throughout the show were absolutely exquisite. They were so incredibly detailed and rivalled any that I’ve seen in any show before. Even the tiniest of details were thought of and you could see that they were meant to have been made out of the scraps of ‘human’ belongings.

Alongside the costumes, the props didn’t disappoint. Each and every prop was perfect and fitted the aesthetic of the show beautifully. Once again, each and every detail down to the smallest of intricacies of the prop had been considered.

The entire show was wholesome, endearing and quintessentially British.

Watching such incredible young, local talent was an absolute honour. I can honestly say, the future of theatre looks very bright!

I’d thoroughly recommend the show to everyone from the youngest to the oldest of people. I promise you, it’ll be an absolute treat of an evening and if you want something that is adorable, wholesome and heart warming to do during the Christmas break, you should book tickets. It’s an absolute delight of a show and supporting these young performers will mean everything.

Rating: 5/5

The show is on from 17th December 2022 until 31st December 2022

Tickets cost from £10.00

For more information or to book tickets please visit The Wind in the Willows | Chichester Festival Theatre (cft.org.uk)or phone the box office on 01243 781312 

Address: Chichester  Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6AP