‘The Wind in the Willows’ moves audience to standing ovation at Roscommon Arts Centre
The cast of 'The Wind in The Willows' staged by members of Roscommon Youth Theatre at Roscommon Arts Centre. Pic: Brian Farrell
“There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” So said a very wise water rat once to his new, subterranean friend, at the beginning of one of the most charming and beloved friendships in children’s literature.
The water rat, or Ratty as he was to his friends, could equally have said his timeless phrase of the Roscommon County Youth Theatre’s (RCYT) production of ‘The Wind in the Willows’.
The Kenneth Grahame classic, first published in 1908, gave the world unforgettable characters such as Moley, Ratty, Badger, and of course the incorrigible but ultimately loveable, Mr Toad. It was the perfect way for RCYT to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Directed by Boyle native Catherine Sheridan, the play was performed on the May Bank Holiday, leaving audiences both delighted and wanting more. One young theatre goer was heard to whisper ‘I don’t want it to end’.
The play began with Moley (Ivy O’ Connor) forswearing spring cleaning and emerging into the bright, vibrant riverside world. There Moley meets Ratty (Aby Arthur) and they soon become fast friends while enjoying the slow pace of life on the river. But trouble, and excitement, in the well-heeled frame of Mr Toad (Robert Shannon) is not far away.
Along the way the pair meet prickly hedgehogs (“Excuse me do you mind, I find that offensive”), frivolous rabbits, and cunning weasels, led by the Chief Weasel (Liam Dunne).
After a disastrous caravaning trip, the new canary yellow caravan is wrecked by a reckless motorist. And while the long-suffering horse Alfred (Mary Boland) is left more depressed than ever, Mr Toad is exhilarated by his first vehicular encounter.
Despite the best efforts of Moley, Ratty, and the formidable Badger (Keira Gardner), it is not long before this craze lands Toad before a judge (Isabelle Lucas) and to jail he is sent. But with the help of the kindly jailor’s daughter (Abbie Gibbons), a washer woman’s dress, and an anti-car minded train driver (Hayden Naughton), Mr Toad escapes and reclaims his home from the crafty weasels, who plan to turn stately Toad Hall into apartments and a leisure centre.
The play concluded with a rendition by the whole cast of “Ducks’ Ditty”, which was penned by sometime poet, Ratty, and was met by a standing ovation from a smiling audience.
CAST: Abbie Gibbons, Aby Arthur, Alex Richardson, Chloe Gannon, Emily Sarah Hough, George Naughton, Hayden Naughton, Isaac Naughton, Isabelle Lucas, Ivy O' Connor, Jamie Pearce, John Silva, Karla Browne, Keira Gardner, Liam Donohoe Dunne, Mary Boland, Nicole Heavy, Robert Shannon, Saibhe Naughton, and Willow Burgoyne.
Creative team: Director, Catherine Sheridan; Set Design, Cherie White; set assistants, Jingyi Zhang, Yvette Fielding, Susan McKenna, and Lauren Waite; costume sesign, Cherie White; sound design, Michael Foley; lighting design, Michael Foley; projection design, Cherie White & Michael Foley; music support, Eoin Corcoran; song arrangement, Hayden and Saibhe Naughton; guest choreographer, Jérémie Cyr-Cooke; stage hands, Sean Egan, Ace Porter, Alex Richardson; photography, Brian Farrell; promotional trailer, Michael Foley, and schools liaison, Jeanette Foley.
