The Shaw Festival's production of 'The Wind in the Willows' is a breath of fresh air, offering a delightful and timeless take on a classic children's story. The play, adapted by Fiona Sauder from A. A. Milne's stage adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's Edwardian tales, is a step in the right direction for the festival, moving away from the dusty classics that have historically dominated their youth programming. Sauder, who also directs the play, has a proven track record of creating captivating musical adaptations of children's classics, including 'Peter Pan', 'Alice in Wonderland', and 'Narnia'. Her approach to storytelling reliably captures the attention of both kids and their grown-ups, and 'The Wind in the Willows' is no exception.
The play follows the adventures of Toad, a reckless and self-absorbed driver, and his menagerie of rodent friends. The production is filled with whimsical moments, such as when we first enter Sauder's world through the eyes of a young girl named Marigold, and the animals emerge in a symphony of ears and tails. The trial scene is gripping and genuinely funny, and the opening sequence is choreographed to perfection.
However, the script could use some additional work. Parts of the play feel surprisingly confusing and didactic, especially for a piece anticipating young audiences. The intermission comes surprisingly late in the show, and the second act is markedly shorter than the first. Some of the morals in Grahame's stories are also as dated as Grahame himself, reflecting familiar British class schisms.
Despite these flaws, 'The Wind in the Willows' is a delight, a sugar-sweet confection frosted with charm. The production feels like a gasp of fresh air for the Shaw Festival, and it's clear that the festival is moving in the right direction. The matinee I attended was packed with kids and their carers, and the youngsters in the crowd couldn't have been more pleased to be there. The magic of the play was evident in their wide eyes and murmurs as Toad evaded law enforcement.
In my opinion, the Shaw Festival has found the sweet spot with 'The Wind in the Willows'. The play is a celebration of childhood and a blueprint for how the festival might approach their future youth programming while continuing to uplift vintage source material. It's a refreshing and engaging production that will leave a lasting impression on both kids and adults alike.
